Look to the Heavens

He (God) brought him (Abram) outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be."  And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.  Genesis 15:5-6

Have you ever had an experience like this? Have you ever needed some kind of reassurance from God and found it in God's creation?  Abram looks up at a sky he has seen every night of his life, and in it he sees the results of God's covenant.

I remember when I was young - elementary school aged, I think.  My grandmother was sick, and we had to rush her from West Virginia to Virginia for treatment.  We spent the night awake at the hospital.  Near sunrise, I went outside to check on our dog, who was asleep in the car.  (I think - I'm not certain we had her with us, but it seems like we must have).  I wondered if everything would be OK. 

I saw the sunrise, and knew - as much as I could know - that it would all work out.  I've always considered that encounter with God.  I needed reassurance, and God provided.

I think when we remember those time - those encounters - they can give us comfort and assurance.  I wonder how many times Abram thought back, and remembered looking at the countless stars with God.