The Length of God's Story

 

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb. (Genesis 12:1-9 ESV).

 

The main difference between a novel and a novella lies in their length and complexity. A novel is a longer work of fiction, typically over 40,000 words, while a novella is shorter, generally falling between 17,500 and 40,000 words. Novels often have multiple characters, subplots, and a more complex structure, while novellas tend to focus on a single, central conflict and fewer characters, leading to a faster pace. And, of course, if we’re talking about a short-story or an essay, they can vary in length from 200-1,000 words.

 

Sometimes God’s stories cover a very long period of time and can extend the time of our journey. In our reading today we see Abram (Abraham) discovers this truth very vividly. God came into Abram’s story in a big way when he was 75 years old. God called him to leave one of the greatest cities in the world to head for parts unknown. The only thing Abram and his wife, Sarai, had to go on was a mysterious promise: “I will make you into a great nation.”

 

But then—nothing happened for a long time. Years passed, with no sign of a family on the way. Then a decade, followed by another decade. Eventually Abram was nearly 100 years old, and Sarai was almost ninety, well past the possibility of a normal pregnancy. Their suspense may well have turned to cynicism as God seemed to have forgotten their story. But then God revealed more of His story in their lives. He came to visit them in disguise (cf. Genesis 18). He promised they would have their long-awaited child in about a year. Sarah laughed, but she soon became pregnant, and then Isaac was born (cf. Genesis 21)! God hadn’t forgotten; he was just building anticipation for a dramatic plot twist.

 

Sometimes our stories take a long time too. Perhaps you’re in the middle of a long wait in the story God is writing in your life. Perhaps you’ve begun to think that God has forgotten you. Be assured: he hasn’t. God is still writing your story! Trust Him for a GREAT ending!