December 29, 2021 “Promises Fulfilled”

In these verses, I am struck by how many times God has promised a miraculous birth, even just in the Advent devotional entries–Mary, Zechariah, and now Abram. I know there are additional such stories in the Bible. I’m not diminishing the wonder of every baby that is born, just noting that God has repeatedly promised to bring good things to His people through a baby, especially when a pregnancy was unlikely. I’m rather enjoying the image of God working with those babies.

In the devotional entry for today, I am intrigued by the author’s change of wording from “Do not be afraid” to “Trust me.” That change is very validating for me. Sometimes I feel guilty for being afraid. Someone saying, “Trust me,” acknowledges that fear is a logical response to whatever is happening, but help or protection has arrived. Does this wording make a positive difference for anyone else? To me, it says that it’s okay if I’m frightened, but God is here with me, and I can lean on Him.