Count the Stars

Thousands of years ago, a man heard a voice that seemingly came out of nothing. This voice told him that he was to be a father. He was not going to be merely a father of a family, but he was to be a father of a nation. Because this man had been childless for so long, he had already chosen an heir. However, this voice took him out at night and told him to look at the heavens. This voice asked him to count the stars. The story does not tell us whether or not he tried, but he probably became quickly overwhelmed by the sheer multitude of lights in the night sky. This voice, God Himself, told Abram that his progeny would number as the stars in their multitudes. From that moment, each star represented a portion of the grand promise that God had made to Abram (Abraham). Each glimpse into the night sky reminded him of a moment when God promised him a nation as a heritage. However, God's promise did not come immediately, and Abraham tried to make the promise happen in his own power. He lost sight of the glory of the stars. How could Abraham forget the great promise of God when all he had to do was to look out into the heavens and see the host of heavenly lights? How could he simply throw away such a beautiful and powerful promise? Abraham simply doubted. He doubted God and His promise. He forgot to remind himself of the promise. He forgot to count the stars.
Now, many parts of the world are covered in light-bedecked cities. The flashing signs and baleful streetlights mask the light of the stars. Abraham is dead, but the multitude of his children still exist. His spiritual children, Christians, are the greatest part of God's promise to Abraham. Christians represent the fulfillment of the promise that was made to Abraham on that night when the stars shown uninhibited.
How much are we Christians like Abraham? Most Christians live as if God had never done anything for them just like Abraham lived as if he had never received the promise. We have forgotten the greatness of our God whose promise to Abraham worked our salvation. We have forgotten the intimate nature of the relationship that God wants with each believer. We have forgotten the profound change from our image to the image of Christ that God wants to work in us. We have forgotten the promise of the eternal glory we will be translated into at the end of our time on earth. We have forgotten to count the stars.
I myself have forgotten. I have seen the wonders of the world and the wonder of my own salvation, and I still live as if God has done nothing for me. Through this blog I hope to begin to count the stars, and although I know I shall not uncover all the amazing displays of God in my life, I will at least have started so that I may continue when I can see their Creator face to face.