I am thankful that through Jesus Christ, God makes evident His love for the insecure.

Abraham, a hero of the faith, a giant of trust, is a complex relatable character, if you don’t skip over his failures to his triumphal faith in God. We know the story. God called Abraham to leave his home country to a foreign land, where he was to be the father of many people, and through Abraham all the peoples of earth will be blessed.

If it where today, Abraham would have friends telling him to activate his faith and believe in his destiny. This is his year! Not so fast, don’t skip over the messy middle. Insecurities stem for our inadequacies, and just like us, Abraham tried to control his life. God journeyed with Abraham as he learned to trust God’s ways and not to trust in himself.

Famine forced Abraham to take his wife and servants to Egypt. Just like every one of us, Abraham allowed his insecurities to dictate his beliefs and changed his behavior to fit his beliefs. He lies and tells his wife to lie. Fearing that he may be murdered so that the Pharaoh could have his beautiful wife, the two conspire to say that she is his sister. Where is his faith? How come he didn’t activate his faith and believe in his destiny?

Insecurity. The consequences of Abraham’s and our insecurities effect everyone around us. Pharaoh’s whole household was inflicted with serious diseases. Abraham and Sarah sin. Later, their son would repeat Abraham’s sin. One thing doesn’t happen. God doesn’t reject Abraham, or take away his destiny, or change His mind to use Abraham to bring about His plan of salvation through Jesus.

God continues to love Abraham through all of his insecurities. God doesn’t even change His mind when Abraham listens to Sarah and tries to manipulate the blessings of God to bring about a child by committing adultery with Hagar, Sarah’s servant. Instead, God blesses both boys and promises to make both of them into two great nations. A great book on this is Healing the Broken Family of Abraham by Don McCurry.

Just like us, Abraham walked through many situations that he had to decide to believe God or try to control his life. When we feel insecure, we do this too. We manipulate, mistrust, and maneuver others to make us feel better.

Control over our world is ultimately an illusion, leaving no room for faith. Thankfully, we have our example Abraham. God still used him to bring about the family line that would give birth to Jesus, but God still tested him with the very blessing He promised Abraham from the beginning, his son.

Genesis 22 records the whole story. God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, so Abraham took his son to the mountain that God showed him. When Isaac asked where the lamb for the burnt offering was. Abraham replied,

“God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering my son.”

Now that is faith. How does this apply to us? In afflictions and times of insecurities, we may waiver in our belief that God loves us. May we look at Abraham and remember that God didn’t stop loving Abraham or change his mind to bless him even when his faith wobbled. God journeys with us through affliction and insecurities to strengthen us as we continue to trust Him. May we learn to say, “Even though I feel insecure, God himself will provide.”