Abram believed God and trusted in His promises, so God counted it to his favor as righteousness.
—Genesis 15:6

The account of Abraham is a powerful example of God’s faithfulness. Abraham is everything we aspire to be—courageous, brave, full of faith, and living a life of adventure. He’s also everything we are—confused, uncertain, wavering, and at times, a very bad decision maker! Through the example given to us in God’s relationship with Abraham, there is much revealed about the nature of God and His plans for our own personal relationship with Him.

With Faith in God, We Can Relax

The pressure and stress of life can seem overwhelming. We’ve all felt it. The number of people on medication to deal with depression, anxiety, and stress is staggering. Sometimes we feel like shutting down and giving up, or we self–protect and become incredibly calculating and controlling of our lives and others around us.

That’s when we should relax and give our stress to God.

When Abram and his nephew Lot needed to separate and go different ways because they were growing so great in number, Abram was so relaxed! We would understand if he felt stressed at this decision, as it seemingly had the potential to determine his future. But Abram was calm and easy about the decision–making process because he knew who determines his future.

A vast land is out there and available to you. It is time for us to go our separate ways. You choose your land. If you choose east, I’ll go west. If you choose west, I’ll go east—it’s your call. (Genesis 13:9)

He could be this relaxed because he knew God would be true to His promises, regardless of the decision that was made between relatives. And God was.

Time and time again we see Abram relaxed in his certainty of God’s faithfulness. When offered a great reward by the king of Sodom for his role in defeating his enemies, he refused, wanting his life to be a testimony to the promises and power of God alone. Regardless of what is going on around us, or the decisions we face before us, we can relax in God’s faithfulness.

Excerpted from The One: Experience Jesus.

Why is it so hard for us to relax and let God take control?