Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”……

This chapter is the beginning of the execution of what we have come to know as the Abrahamic Covenant, the covenant that God made with Abraham. 

What is a covenant? It is an alliance, a pledge between two people, countries, or kingdoms. Other words that are used to articulate this word: a constitution, an agreement, or a pledge (man to man). A marriage is a covenant, and one of the closest examples of what a covenant is. However, today, a marriage is much more like a contract than a covenant. But a contract can be breached; one can fail to perform it, and the outcome can be decided in court. 

Why is this so important? I believe that it is the process, even the parts that are unseen. Let’s look at this. 

1. Abram’s Vision: Genesis 15:1 After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” God appeared to Abram to let him know that he did not have to fear the unknown, but that he could count on the fact that God would be his reward (payment of a contract; wages). As a business owner, this speaks volumes to me, as the very existence of my position as an owner is daily seeking out contracts to help build and sustain our company. The executed contract is the mechanism that enables companies to prosper and succeed. So, for this to be what God shared with Abram first is significant. Abram, I’m your prosperity and blessings; you can count on me and don’t have to rely on others. 
2. Abram’s Doubt: Genesis 15:2-3 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed, one born in my house is my heir!” I can relate to Abram; after all, when nothing around you remotely resembles what God is showing you, why would you believe it? On that day, you were thought to be blessed when you had wealth (livestock, silver, gold), numerous descendants, a long life, and provisions. So here God is telling Abram about being blessed, yet it is why Abram pushed back on God, stating, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless?” He had no descendants. Unlike our generation, richness was based on Legacy (what type of legacy would be left). It was very valuable, and all of Abram’s possessions would go to a servant in his house; the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus. Therefore, what he was experiencing and seeing in his life caused doubt. We’ve been there, the bank account is low, the relationships are broken, there are health issues, or you are struggling in your own mind. There are many reasons for doubt, and we all have them. The thing is, Abram took his doubts directly to God. We need to learn to do the same thing; instead, we sometimes share them with others, or worse, allow the doubts to play over and over in our own minds. We will have doubts; we’re human, but take those doubts to God.
3. Abram’s Answer: Genesis 15:4-5 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be. When we take our concerns to God, just as for Abram, He will answer us and do what He said (Genesis 15:7). Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.”
4. Abram’s Belief: Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. There comes a point in our walk/relationship with God, where we have to “piss or get off the pot.” Either we are going to believe God and take Him at His Word, or we are going to wallow in our own insufficiency. The verse says that he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. So he little h is Abram (or us), while He capital H is God. So little h believes and capital H accounted it for righteousness. Just like when we believe in Jesus as the Christ, it is accounted to us as righteousness. We are righteous because of what Jesus did on the Cross. Believe God will do what He says He will do. 
5. Abram’s Action: Genesis 15:9-10 So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. Abram asked God for direction; then he obeyed and offered a sacrifice. When we believe what God has told us, it is up to us to take the faith actions that align with God’s promises. 
6. Abram’s Darkness: Genesis 15:12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. It was interesting to me that once Abram finally believed in God, horror and darkness followed. However, I thought about my own life and how many times I was high on expectations about what God was about to do, only for all hell to break loose and for everything that could go wrong to go wrong. It reminds me of the Sower of the Seed; when (then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart). We must be prepared for the enemy to attack, attempting to cause fear and unbelief. 
7. Abram’s Covenant: Genesis 15:18-21 On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—19 the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” God is our protector and provider. He is trustworthy and will step in at our darkest times. God knew the horror and darkness were coming, so He protected Abram with a deep sleep. While he was sleeping, God spoke life over him, executed the covenant, and then told him his future. 

This was all a process that I can learn from (I believe you can too). God is constantly speaking to us, and at times He will give us a vision of what is to come. It will be a vision way bigger than us and can only come to pass with God’s interaction. Should we doubt what God has shown us, we should go to Him with those concerns. He will address them and give us answers (probably won’t be all, but enough). Then we will have to believe His Word, take the necessary faith steps, and prepare for the enemy’s attack that is sure to come. Then we watch God do the impossible!!!!