Faithful
Who is the person in your life that you can always count on? Who comes through, no matter what? Who keeps their promises and doesn’t let you down? Maybe someone instantly comes to your mind. Or maybe you’re struggling to name anyone, because the circumstances listed seem too high a standard for anyone to meet.
The account of Abraham is powerful, because there are many aspects of his story that are relatable to our lives today. We are introduced to a man named Abram at the end of Genesis 11, and we learn Abram has been with his father his entire life. He lost a brother and his entire family moved to a different land. His wife was barren. Then, his father died. Maybe you’re in a season of one loss. Maybe you’re in a season of multiple losses, like Abram was, and it seems as though you’re getting hit with wave after tidal wave of life. It is here, in the depth of Abram’s pain, that God shows up.
God is always faithful to show up.
God has been faithful to show up in the dark depths of my life:
Abandonment and being an orphan
Rejection
Abuse
Grief and loss of relationships and dreams
Addiction
Cancer
It may not be in the way I want or think He should show up. But He has been faithful to be there, and walk with me through the seasons of my life. And if I didn’t realize He was there in the moment, I can look back and see how He was present.
It is in the midst of this shift in Abram’s life that the LORD calls Abram. We don’t know how long it was after the death of his father, but it wasn’t until his father died that Abram received the call. Abram was called because he was no longer bound to something hindering his ability to answer.
God is faithful to call us when it is time.
Oh, how many times I have asked, “How long LORD?!”
How long until I graduate college?
How long until I get married?
How long until I have children?
How long until my children are grown?
How long until I retire?
How long until I publish a book?
How long until I am free from cancer?
How long until __________?
God has created each of us for a purpose, and He is preparing us for whatever that purpose may be with each season of our lives. Those tough moments patiently, methodically, wonderfully, refine and prepare us for what is ahead. It has been amazing to see how every season in my life has helped prepare me for the season I am in now. Maybe, Abram stayed with his father and learned to trust those leading him, which prepared him to trust the Lord and the journey he was going to embark on. Maybe moving from one land to another prepared him for the nomadic lifestyle he would have. Maybe losing his brother and father prepared him for the heartbreaking loss of Ishmael. Maybe sacrificing so many things prepared him for being willing to sacrifice his son Isaac.
Maybe the valley and deserts you’ve walked through are preparing you for the calling the Lord has for you.
Finally, the Lord commands Abram to leave everything he has known, because God will do several things. The Lord tells Abram:
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you” and:
“To your offspring I will give this land.”
(Genesis 12:2-3 and 7 NIV)
God is faithful to do what He says He will do.
The Lord is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8), and when He says He will do something, you can trust that it will come to fruition, in His time and in His purposes. God will never renege on what He says He will do. His covenant with Abram is still valid today, visible by the miraculous existence of the State of Israel. So, if there is a promise He whispered in your heart, you can trust the One who gave it.
In 2013, God whispered to my heart the call for writing and speaking. During that time, I was pregnant with my second child, and had spent every week gaining confidence speaking by standing in court rooms as a drug court administrator. There have been moments sprinkled in my life with opportunities to write and to teach. When I received the diagnosis of cancer in the midst of the world-wide chaos of a pandemic and political turmoil, the last thing on my mind was being a writer and speaker. I backed away from everything. But I still write in my journals, pouring out my heart through tears. I continue to teach by homeschooling my children. The call to write and speak is still on my life, but it looks very different than I anticipated. Yet, I want to be faithful with my calling in how it looks right now. I continue to journal and study, knowing that I can trust it is good, and that as the seasons of my life continue to change, I will continue to see His calling for me. God has been very faithful showing up in this season by His mighty provision. He has been faithful to remind me of His calling. And He has been faithful to remind me that He will do what He said He would.
Sweet sister, I know it is difficult to wait and to trust. I struggle every day. But His word is here to remind me and you that He was faithful to Abraham and He will be faithful to us. Let’s believe it today.
Megan Sinisi absolutely adores a good cup of coffee, chocolate, and sitting with people to share life stories. She is a native to Las Vegas, born and raised, and has four beautiful children with her handsome husband, Vincenzo. She is a counselor, specializing in the field of addictions, with multiple certifications, both in Nevada and nationally. She directed Nevada’s largest treatment court and has been building her private practice since 2014, acquiring contracts with the City of Las Vegas, City of Henderson, Clark County Special Defender’s Office, and Zappos.com. It is because of her own journey of healing and through her career that she has learned the wounds we have can begin to be healed as we share our stories. She considers it an honor when someone shares their story with her, and hopes that as she shares her stories of victory and healing that others can be inspired, encouraged, and challenged. Megan has a love and fervor for writing and is walking in faith that God is calling her to use that passion and gift for His glory. She is someone who is known for her honesty and transparency that brings light to difficult situations and feelings, and offers hope and encouragement for the journey of life. It is her hope that by sharing her journey, it encourages, challenges, inspires, comforts, and most importantly, shines the light of Jesus and the reality of His love, grace, and mercy. You can find more from Megan at www.meganjsinisi.com And @meganjsinisi on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.