Promises are declarations or assurances that are meant to be kept, not broken. When broken, penalties may be imposed. While people are ready to break their promises and are willing to pay the penalties, God always keeps His promises. This is a great comfort to believers. The surety of God’s promise can be seen in Genesis 15, where God made a covenant with Abram.

Gen 15:1: God reassure Abram to “fear not” and that He is “thy shield and thy exceeding great reward.” Abram must have the faith to believe that God is his Protector against all his enemies and that God will reward him for his faith.

Gen 15:2-3: As ten years had passed and God had not fulfilled His promise of giving Abram a seed, Abram wrongly concluded that “one born in my house is mine heir.” It is always a challenge to walk by faith and not by sight. We must not rely on our own understanding or wisdom, but to always trust God.

Gen 15:4-5: God then promised Abram that he will have an heir who “shall come forth out of thine (Abram’s) own bowels.” God also promised Abram that his seed will be as numerous as the stars in the sky. This seemed impossible to Abram for he was already of old age at that time. But nothing shall be impossible for God.

Gen 15:6 : Abram “believed in the LORD” by faith, that all of God’s promises to him will be fulfilled. Abram’s faith in God before seeing the works coming to fruition led to him being counted righteous.

Gen 15:7: Abram’s faith made him realized that it is God who enabled him to obey and leave Ur of the Chaldees and to go to the land of promise. God never abandoned him but strengthened him through many difficult times.

Gen 15:8-9: Abram wanted God to confirm His promise through a sign. This was not a lack of faith on Abram’s part but a confirmation of God’s covenant with him. And God sealed His covenant with Abram.

Gen 15:10-16: The animals were sacrificed and divided into two. God caused Abram to fall into a deep sleep and showed him how his seed should suffer in a foreign land and how God would deliver them out of that land with great substance. Although Abram did not witness this event, his faith enabled him to know that this would surely come to pass.

Gen 15:17: “A smoking furnace and a burning lamp” passed between the sacrificed animals. This means that only God will fulfill this covenant. Abram will play no part. Abram just need to have faith in God and to believe and trust Him.

The God of Abram is the same God we believe in today. Whatever God had promised, He will fulfill them. We must not waiver or to doubt God. We must continue to trust God and stand on His promises. May God help us.