By Pauline Akello
A long time ago, there lived a man named Abram who loved God very much. Even though many people around him didn’t know or follow the one true God, Abram chose to listen to Him.
One day, God spoke to Abram and said, “Leave your home and your family. Go to a new land that I will show you.” God also made a big promise. He said, “I will bless you. I will make you into a great nation. And through you, all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3).
Abram trusted God. So he packed up his things, took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all they had, and began a long journey. God led them to a beautiful land called Canaan. God said that one day, Abram’s children and grandchildren would live there. Even though Abram didn’t have any children yet, he believed God.
As years passed, Abram and Sarai got older. They still didn’t have a child. They wondered, “How can God’s promise come true?” But God spoke to Abram again. He told him, “Look up at the sky. You will have as many descendants as there are stars.” Abram believed God, and that made God very happy.
God made a special promise called a covenant. He changed Abram’s name to Abraham, which means “father of many,” and Sarai’s name to Sarah, which means “princess” (Genesis 17:4-5, 15). God said they would have a baby, even though they were very old!
Then, just as God promised, Sarah became pregnant. She gave birth to a baby boy and they named him Isaac, which means “laughter” (Genesis 21:1-6). Abraham was 100 years old! They were full of joy because God had kept His promise.
What we learn from this story:
- God leads us to good things even when we don’t know what’s next.
- God keeps His promises even if it takes a long time.
- Faith means trusting God even when things seem impossible.
- God brings joy after waiting, just like Isaac brought laughter.
- God is always at work even when we don’t see it.
- God’s plan is bigger than ours. From Abraham’s family came Jesus, the greatest gift of all!
