What do God’s rewards look like? They look like impossible things being made possible. They look like things you could have never even dreamed up in your own mind. God’s rewards are bigger, better and sweeter than what you even asked for. They are exceedingly great.

And God rewards the ones who have messed things up. He rewards the ones who have failed along the way. The ones who thought their plans were better than God’s instructions, so they did their own thing their own way. God doesn’t cancel his rewards for the less than perfect, he leads them right to his rewards with grace and mercy. He covers us, forgives us, guides us, teaches us, and redeems us. Again and again, he rewards us in ways we could never be good enough to earn.

Yesterday as I was wrapping Christmas gifts for my family, I realized God’s rewards in my life. Is my life perfect – no. There are some messy uncertainties, hurts and unhealed wounds. There are some struggling relationships and painful distances. Each of those gifts will be shipped in boxes today because no one is coming home … and I’m okay with that. We will be alone for Christmas, but fully aware of God’s exceedingly great rewards.

I don’t get to share everything with you here because some things are private. But sometimes things need to be shared so God’s glory is made known. In the past year, we’ve walked a path with both of our daughters that seemed hopeless. Just this last Christmas, not only did they not come home but they wouldn’t even call. I didn’t tell you that. Every morning I was charged with the task of showing up here with a new devotional to share in pure delight as our family was broken. God has taught me how to walk through hard times and still be filled with joy. He’s taught me how to walk through the dark valley while talking about beautiful promised mountaintops. And let me tell you, HE’S NEVER FAILED ME ONCE.

Last year at this time, one daughter’s marriage had fallen apart and she was walking away from her husband and her 2 year old son. That’s the truth. It didn’t look like it could EVER be okay again. The other daughter was going her own way in darkness, leaving a trail of disaster behind her and blaming us for most of it. She was caught in a world of chaos, bouncing from couch to couch and struggling to buy food. But God did not fail us. He didn’t walk away and leave us to try and fix it. In fact, we had nothing to do with fixing it. We prayed – God worked. We’re still praying – and he’s still working.

But let me tell you how radically different our family looks this year. In one year, the daughter who was leaving her husband and 2 year old son is with her little family, they’re in Church and they’re seeking God. She sent me 2 texts this week. 1 text was of the 3 of them in matching Christmas pajamas all piled up on the couch together. That’s a miracle! Their divorce is cancelled! The 2nd text was telling me how they caught their little boy talking to himself and then realized he was praying. He was saying, “Thank you for Poppy and Franny.” (I’m Franny!). She told me they’ve been praying together as a family, and he’s started repeating them. Y’all that’s an exceedingly great reward! I didn’t do that – GOD DID THAT!

My other daughter now has a baby girl of her own, and she’s the most perfect thing you’ve ever seen. Their life is not easy, but they have their little family together and they’re trying to give their baby girl the best they can. Yesterday she sent me a video of my smiling grandbaby as she absolutely lights up over her mama’s voice. It’s a miracle. I didn’t even know this was possible 1 year ago!

And here I am, wrapping presents to ship to the homes of my children which God is working in. Here I am walking in the middle of undeniable miracles and exceedingly great rewards. Last year I never imagined this could be our family because it all looked so impossible. That’s what God does – you need to know that.

You need to know that, because maybe this Christmas is dark and hopeless for you. Maybe you’re walking through the unimaginable and you don’t see how it can possibly get better. My friend, God can work in this, he can work through this, and he can work with this. Invite him in. Believe him.

That’s the key – don’t just believe IN God, but truly BELIEVE GOD. Believe he is unlimited in power. Believe he sees every detail of your life and cares. Believe he knows the desires of your heart and is responding. Believe nothing is impossible for him. Read his promises and believe they are for you, they are for your family, they are for your future. BELIEVE GOD.

This week, in our study of the book of Genesis, we’ve seen how Abram failed to trust God fully and through his own ideas and ways he made a bit of a mess. But, God was patient as Abram learned the lesson of trust. Now that Abram is trusting God completely, God is trusting Abram with more and he promises to him a reward that will be exceedingly great.

Now, you have to know Abram’s honest reply. You have to know what Abram says to God next. This is HONEST PRAYER – and this is what God is asking for.

Abram says in Genesis 15:2, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, a servant in my household will inherit all my wealth.”

This is Abram’s heart being poured out. All he wanted was a son, but he and his wife Sarai had been unable to have children. Now Abram is 75 years old and it seems hopeless and too late. He’s disappointed.

Is it okay to tell God that you’re disappointed? Is it okay to tell God you can’t believe this is how life has worked out for you? Absolutely! That’s real relationship and that’s what God is looking for. YOU CAN BE REAL WITH GOD. You can tell him the truth. The truth of how you’re really feeling. The truth of what you really want. The truth of what really hurts.

And now, God reveals the exceedingly great reward he has in mind for Abram. He says to this 75 year old man with a barren wife and no children, (verse 5), “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

Impossible. Unbelievable. And totally God’s plan!

What Abram did next is what you and I most need to know today. Verse 6, “Abram believed the Lord.”

When it didn’t make sense, Abram believed the Lord. When it seemed too late, Abram believed the Lord. When he couldn’t see it, when he couldn’t fix it, when he couldn’t even imagine it, Abram believed the Lord.

Will you believe the Lord?

There’s a big difference between believing IN God and actually believing God. Satan and his demons believe in God. They know he is real. That doesn’t save them and that doesn’t change them. This isn’t about believing in God – this is about believing God. Believing his promises. Believing his power. Believing his sovereignty over every situation in your life. Believing in his involvement in the details. Believing in his personal care for you. Believing he has a plan for your life, and that plan is eternally good. Believing he will work in everything and use it for his good.

Do you BELIEVE GOD? Do you believe he is for you and not against you? Do you believe he is making a way for you? Do you believe he has forgiven you and made you new? Do you believe God?

I will carry big boxes filled with wrapped Christmas presents to the post office today, and I will thank God for the miracles he has done for my family. Impossible things against all odds have happened for us. He gets all the glory. One year ago, it all seemed too far gone. But now, we see what God has done.

If he’s done it for me, he can do it for you. He did it for me when I was wrong, when I was self-righteous, when I was angry, when I was hurt. He did it for me when it was too late, too far gone, and beyond repair.

He did it for Abram when he had a track record of not always trusting God fully. He did it for Abram when every ounce of hope was gone. He took Abram outside and had him look at the stars. He told him to try and count the stars. As many stars as there were, that’s how many descendants he would have. This meant Abram would become a father. His barren wife would have a baby. And from that baby would come more children than he could ever count.

42 generations later, through God’s miraculous work in Abram’s life, a descendant would come and he would be our Jesus! When God told Abram to count the stars that would come from him, he had no idea one of those stars would be the bright morning star that is Jesus!

This is what God can do! He did it for Abram. He’s done it for me. He can do it for you.

You don’t have to clean yourself up for it. You don’t have to figure it all out first. You don’t have to have a plan. You simply have to believe God. It’s more than believing IN God. Believing in God is natural when you see his creation. Now he’s calling you to something so much deeper – something that will radically change your life. BELIEVE HIM. Believe he can do it for you. Believe his promises over your life. Believe his power at work for you.

Lord, I believe you!

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