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It seems as though a really good minister is always inspecting the events going on around them and searching for inspiration in everything for their next lesson, sermon, or illustration. As a PK myself, (Pastor’s Kid) I can tell you from personal testimony of the many stories and examples from my life and my siblings that have been used in various messages throughout the years. I must admit that I often met those illustrations with dramatic eye rolling, as I have found myself ministering more often in different settings it is easy to see how tempting it is to use real life examples from my family to illustrate a point in a lesson. Having said this, I must begin by telling you a story about my brother, Wyatt, and we can cue the dramatic eye roll at this time. 
    Growing up Wyatt and I both loved and played many sports. We enjoyed the competition, excitement, and challenges that came with being on a team. Even now we have times when we still can get that adrenaline spiking due to an intense round of golf or battle of corn hole. My brother really enjoyed playing baseball and played for many years as a kid. I recall one particular game though where things just were not going well for him. I must say that Wyatt was always one who believed that looking the part was as important as playing it. He was most certainly going to have the accessories and style that would affirm the mantra “look good, play good”. On this day, Wyatt had spent the morning prior to his game with his grandparents and while with them he found a pair of sunglasses at their house that he felt were the perfect addition to his uniform. This was no big deal it seemed, until it came for him to take his turn batting. That is when we knew something was wrong. You see as soon as the ball was pitched, Wyatt swung. It wasn’t even close to connecting. Now this didn’t happen just once but multiple times and that was not normal. After a pitiful strikeout and slow walk to the dugout our dad runs over and asks to examine Wyatt’s new cool shades only to discover that they were actually heavy prescription glasses which made Wyatt’s perception way off. He needed a perspective shift that day and I’d like to look at another time a guy we may have heard of was also in need of a perspective shift similar to Wyatt. 
    Genesis 15 starts and says that it is taking place “after these things”. These three words don’t seem exciting, but it is suspected that Genesis 15 takes place maybe up to 12 years after Genesis 12. This is important because in Genesis 12 we meet this man named Abram (later Abraham) and God calls Abram away from his family and makes a covenant with him that he was going to make a great nation out of him and his offspring. Sounds nice enough, but now we are years away in Abram is likely in his mid 80’s at this point with no heir for the promise. As we read on, we see Abram frustrated with his situation and even decides that God would need to use Eliezer, a man in Abram’s camp, to be his successor. It comes to a climax as Abram boldly tells God to “behold” in verse 3. Telling God to “look” at what is going on as though He isn’t fully aware of Abram’s predicament. Thankfully, in His tender mercy God does not deal harshly with Abram but rather, meets him where he is at and verse 5 says that God “brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”  Did you catch where Abram was? He was sitting in his tent! Can you picture this? Abram complaining and telling God to “behold” or “look” while sitting there in his tent. I love this picture and can almost see it like a child pouting under a blanket, and then God gently brings Abram outside and says, “Look up!” When Abram no longer saw what was going on in his own little world but stepped out of his tent and looked at the stars in the sky, he could rest assured that the God who made and named those stars was well able to keep his end of the covenant. What Abram really needed was to metaphorically take of the prescription glasses that was causing him to not see correctly and get a perspective shift. 
    I’m not sure what promise you are clinging to today or even how long you’ve been waiting on God to do something, but I can testify to the fact that He is worthy of your trust because He is able, and He is Good. God can do the impossible and as He came through to Abraham with the birth of Isaac, He can come through for you too! What do we do in the meanwhile? Come out of our tent, look up, and trust Him. If you need that perspective change in your own life today, I encourage you to deepen your study of His Word and let His truth reign over what you might see or feel today, and I pray you too can find yourself like Abram and believe the Lord for what is next (v. 6).