Abram (he was not yet Abraham) was stuck. He was stuck in his imaginings that he forever was to be childless, ever to be without an heir of his own family. I imagine Abram’s mind was running 'round in fantastically dizzying circles as he feared this possibility and was looking for any possible way to change it. He was, frankly, stuck in the dizzying imaginings of his mind. All seemed lost. All seemed barren of any hope or possibility, let alone fruitfulness.
Hmm….. I wonder if this story resonates with any of our own lives?...........
And yet, powerfully, this very place that is dizzying and full of fear for Abram is also sacred ground, for it is the very place that God and Abram encounter one another (you can read the story in Genesis 15.1-6). It is here that Abram presents his case to God (I personally think Abram muttered a bunch of this under his breath), and it is here that God listens and responds.
God’s response is beautifully, breathtakingly simple. In a nutshell--“It is not so.” And then God takes Abram outside. “Abram,” He says, “look towards the heaven and count the stars….(and here I think God maybe chuckles under Her breath a bit) if you are able to count them…..” Rather than argue or buy into Abram’s line of reasoning God offers Abram the opportunity to let go of his fantastically dizzying circles and to begin to open up to new possibilities, and maybe even to move from a fear of great scarcity and abandonment to a hope and trust of great abundance and joy.
Wow. Can you imagine standing with God and Abram under the stars of heaven at this very moment with your own fantastically dizzying circles of fear? Each of us has them. Go ahead. It’s a great form of prayer. Even go out tonight and stand under the stars. I double dog dare you!
This isn’t to say Abram gets it all right away (just like all the rest of us). He still has a way to go in his story. But something in Abram does begin to shift that night as he stares up into the sky and begins to count the stars. He begins to open up to a place of deeper trust in God and an openness to yet un-conceived possibilities. It is a deeply holy shift. And that shift will make all the difference.
As always, each of you is so much in my heart and prayers.
With gratitude, simplicity, and great love,
Mother Julia
