Covenant promises: The LORD had said to Abram:

“Get out ..... I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” This promise of blessing and cursing to Abraham and his descendants,  is of course a promise to Israel, for Abraham is Israel's father. You might think it a coincidence that during the tenure of US presidents who have stood with Israel,  that America has prospered. And that  the converse is also true. I don't think it a coincidence, but then I believe the Bible. Of course Israel is far from perfect,  but then neither are we, and we need to pray for her.  I don't want to be opposing God! Again, I am not saying there's no injustices, for there certainly are! But we are commanded to pray for,  and seek the peace of Jerusalem,  (Psalm 122:6; 34:14).

God called Abram out alone, in order that He might do a great work in him (Isaiah 51:2). The believer certainly needs to be in fellowship (Hebrews 10:25), but the deeper work of God is done when He gets us on our own. We see this in the stories of Joseph, David and Paul. These alone times are both times of testing and strengthening.  God is promising Abraham not only land, but a name,  and posterity – his descendants would multiply and become a great nation. But how on earth was this  going to happen, for Sarai his wife was barren.  In Romans 4:19 we read of Abraham that “not being weak in faith,  did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.” Abraham was seventy five at the time of the promise (12:4), and he would be sorely tried as he waited, and as we shall see, he would make some serious mistakes.  

I know something of the fiery trial of delayed answers to His promises. The questioning “did I hear correctly;” The temptation to do God's part when He doesn't come through in our time frame;  the lack of closure on outstanding issues etc.,  etc. Several years into my promise,  and seemingly no closer than at the beginning, He asked me if I had waited patiently for Him.  He had earlier used Psalm 40:1 to instruct me to do so. I could only answer that I'd waited. Was it patient waiting?  That was another question altogether!  There's a saying that God is never early, and He is never late.  And He has things to do in us and in others,  as we wait. In particular “those who wait in hope on the Lord will renew their strength, they will mount up with wings like eagles they will run and not be weary they will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). A little old lady friend of mine once comforted me by saying “The trouble with God, is that He has no sense of time!”

Lord, You are not slack concerning Your promises, for You have a very different sense of time. A thousand years with You is as a day (2 Peter 3:9). Thank You that You chose not to remember Abraham's mistakes,  and when we confess You don't remember ours (Hebrews 8:12). Thank You that by Your grace we can choose to never, never,  never give up, in Jesus Name Amen