How long can you live on a promise? Abram and Sarai had lived with God’s promise of a child for many years. Their faith was being tested, and their hope was beginning to fade.

One evening God came to renew his promise to Abram, saying that his descendants would be as many as the stars in the night sky. Abram’s faith was strengthened—and God provided even more.

Our reading for today shows how God not only approaches people but also creates a pathway of relating to them. In this passage we read about a special kind of covenant (a binding promise) in which two parties would walk between the split carcasses of animals, as if to say, “May the same be done to me if I break my promise.” But here we find that only God goes between the carcasses. While Abram is in a deep, trance-like sleep, God himself takes on both sides of this covenant. This arrangement will have twists and turns, and God looks to the future, telling Abram that his descendants will become slaves in Egypt. But God also promises to bring them back—and he does that (see Exodus 12- 20; Deuteronomy 1-3).

Since history began, people have tried to grab for themselves whatever they think their “great reward” should be. But God offers himself, making clear that the way to full life comes from understanding that the Lord is our shield and our ultimate reward.