Communion With the Christ:: In Our Darkest Hour

“Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.”

Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Gen: 15: 4-5

Abraham who, was, and is, called the father of the faithful, which are all believers, including each of us today, and believers throughout the ages. Abraham was called out of Ur of the Chaldeans by the great God still bearing the name of his birth, Abram.

Abram responds to the calling that God had upon his life, and in so doing was given great and exceeding promises by the Lord, which God had assured him, would become realty.

“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 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.” Gen: 12:1-3

Begins to Wonder

Like all of us, Abram wanted to know and understand the timing and nature of the promises made to him by the Lord God and Abram approaches God and inquiries regarding all that was promised.

After a time in Egypt, Abram returned to the land of Canaan and there Abram approaches God and began to ask about these great promises. The promises of God were great and containing lands and wealth, yet the aspect of the promises which was most dear to Abram was that of an heir.

Abram begins to look at the physical conditions which he faced and began to focus on, and be concerned by his own mortality. To this the Great God sends Abram a word of encouragement to assure him that God would fulfill His word to Abram.

God responds and blesses Abram letting him know that the Lord would act for him and gave Abram encouragement and not to fear, that he will we receive all that has been promised him

“After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Gen: 15:1-3

“Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”(4-5)

God reinforces that Abram should not fear for that which is coming in the promise are great things, the Lord God then bids Abram to look up to heaven and see the stars of the sky as evidence of the multitude of the descendants that Abram would have and how great the fulfillment of the promises would be.

He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.”(7)

Stars As a Sign

In Abram’s case God gives him the sign of the stars of the heavens to confirm the reality that the Lord will bring it to pass. In a real sense, God is telling Abram to look up to Heaven to God and to trust, to know that the times and seasons of his, and our, life are in God’s hands.

All Abram needed do was to look up and each night as the stars emerged out of the descending darkness that he then could know that God would be faithful.

The Word of God speaks that stars are signs and for seasons. That each time the Patriarch looked up, the very stars themselves spoke of the faithfulness of God as a sign to him that God will bring to pass the promises made to Abram.

“Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years;” Gen: 1:14

What God is telling Abram, is that, God is in control of the timing and the seasons of Abram’s, and all of our lives, . He will fulfill his word.

Years latter David would assert that he knew that he could trust God for each season of his life were in the hands of God.

“I will trust in God for ALL my seasons are in your hands” -Ps: 31:14-15

At the Alter

Abram , even after conformation is assured by God, he still asks as to how he will receive these great and exceeding blessings which the Lord has spoken to him.

“But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” Gen: 15:8

In answer to Abram’s inquiry the Lord God then instructs Abram to bring a sacrifice and worship. Abram then comes to God’s Alter, with his sacrifice, where he was told by God.

“So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds”. (9-10)

Now as Abram lays his sacrifice and worships at the roughhewed altar that looks ahead to the craggy slops of Calvary , birds of prey attempt to carry off his sacrifice. Abram is forced to drive the birds of prey away.

“The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.”(11)

The Darkness

As the sun sets upon Abram and darkness surrounds him, Abram falls into a deep sleep. In this darkness shrouded sleep, a fear comes upon him.

“ Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him”(12)

It was this darkness that conjured his fear. This darkness was what inspired Abram’s fear as it closed in around him, for even the very stars were obscured from view by it.

The very sign that God had given to Abram that God’s word would be fulfilled and all that God had for him would come to pass, were, in a moment hid from his view.

In the darkness Abram becomes fearful. There, Abram was in the darkness, he can no longer see the stars which were appointed to be an ongoing encouragement to him and the sign of the faithfulness of God toward him , was now obscured. In this, the darkest hour Abram, loses sight of the fact that it is God who has appointed the seasons of his life, and the timing of God’s Word.

Yet, in the darkness God’s voice is heard, letting Abram know that God is with him and is faithful to the great promise already given, and again reinforces that God is directing the course of Abram’s and his decedents lives. That God has a purpose which is now unfolding.

“God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”(13-16)

God shows Abram an additional vision to reassure him that God will bring to pass all that he has promised.

“It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces.” (17)

In the culture that time, when an agreement or covenant was made between persons and was accompanied by a sacrifice, those who made the covenant would pass between that which was sacrificed to ratify the agreement. This was done to state that they would be as the sacrificed animals, if they did not fulfill their word. God was telling Abram, though the vision of the furnace and the burning torch, that he will do as he said he would. Abram could trust the Lord God.

“On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates” (18)

Abram is a Type of Christian

When Abram was called out of Ur by God, he was asked to leave his old life behind; and was looking ahead for the fulfillment of the Word which the Lord God gave to him.

When we all hear the call of God through the Gospel message about our Lord Jesus Christ, and when we come out of the Ur of our past lives and are led forth by God, we are then recipients of great promises of God.

The Scriptures tells us, all who will forsake their past lives, will receive many blessings in the end, and to this God is faithful to his people. The same was true for Abram, and the same is true for Christians.

Even when, we may find ourselves wondering by what means or how God will bring these things to pass in our lives. Whatever we have left behind the Ur of our past, we will be blessed by God above what we have left behind.

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” Matt: 19:29-30

Even when, we Christians, may be in a time(s) descending darkness in or lives, even as we worship at his alter and the birds of prey of this world attempt to steel our sacrifice away, even when, we offer ourselves a living sacrifices, we, like Abram, can begin to doubt that our God will be faithful. God is saying that He will keep His word to us.

You see, when we enter that life of worship and service to God. Satan at times comes along with his birds of prey, which are the distractions of the world and we find that some things will enter our lives attempting to take that sacrifice, which is our worship, to distract us from worshiping God.

You see, Abram drove them, away and entered into warfare, there will be things and circumstances and even people which will try to draw us away from the alter, that is worship. We needed to be armed with the Word of God. We need to cling to the promises of God and His Word. God rules the times and seasons, even the stars are hid from our view as they were from Abram.

Our Darkest Hour

We can in the midst of times of darkness loss sight of what God has promised us, we can become distracted. There are times when God’s promises seem far off and we cannot navigate easily, when Heaven seems silent as to why we are facing what we are facing and the seasons that we are passing through.

These dark times can breed discouragement and terror in hearts; we can doubt that God is there, that His Word for us will not be fulfilled.

God has "not given us the Spirit of fear but a sound mind". Abram was gripped, momentarily with the Spirit of Fear and God’s calming voice gave him comfort. God will do the same for us, even when we face these dark times which can breed discouragement and terror in hearts; when there are doubts that God is there, and that His Word for us will not be fulfilled.

When Abraham was in this darkness, even the stars were hidden, they which were the ongoing reminder of God’s Word and Promises to him. When we pass through our darkest hour and the hope of receiving God’s word seems remote it is then there is only one place to turn to, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Confirms God's Promise

Jesus is the one who passed between each half of the sacrifice to ratify all of God’s word.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 2Pet1:3-4

“But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2Crth:1:18-22

This tells us that due to who Jesus is , God will keep all his word to us, we need not look to just stars in the heaven for confirmation that God will faithfully bring all good to pass for us, but rather we can look to Jesus, the very one who created the stars that Abram look upon for encouragement. Jesus is God’s affirmation and resounding “Yes!” to us all.

The Bright light

The Holy Spirit through the Epistle to the Hebrew Christians admonishes each of us to fix our eyes on Jesus during times of darkness, to look above and beyond the gathering darkness. The Glory of Jesus can overcome and dispel any season of darkens though which we may pass.

“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb: 12:2

Our Lord Jesus is that “Bright Morning Star” that Star which arise in the darkness that tells us that the night is almost spent and over, that the darkness is coming to and end. That the day will dawn that there will be clarity, all fear will be driven away by the light of the Gospel.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” Rev: 22:16

Jesus tells us, “I AM the Light of the World”. It is In Jesus, by whom our darkest hour can be dispelled and illuminated to show us the way out. Jesus is not just a star of Heaven, He is The Star of Heaven who is the to be the eternal confirmation of God's promises to each and to all , to whom ever will but freely receive them, regardless as to how dark things my get for us.

When we hear the message of the Gospel which always directs to look to Jesus, for in that message is all we could ever need. The Gospel speaks to us about our Lord and all that Jesus is for us. The Gospel makes light our times of darkness as we set our hearts on Jesus.

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jhn: 8:12

Jesus is the great illuminator of us all, Jesus’ glory lights our darkest times.

“the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”2Crth:4:4-6

When we enter into times of darkness and the gathering gloom hides from us all that our God offers and fear grips us, we can look to Jesus and know that our Lord is faithful and will fulfill all the good he has for each and of us all.

Benediction: May we each and all in dark moments ever lift our eyes unto the heavens not to look upon the stars of the sky, but only to the star of heaven our Lord Jesus Christ, today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen.