God acts, God promises

I'm following This plan takes you through the bible in two years. Todays' reading is : Gn 17 Ps 10

Genesis 17

I found it interesting when I was reading the first 14 verses of this chapter. God made a covenant with Abram (now Abraham) where he said... I will do this

"Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations."

and YOU will do this.

This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

He didn't negotiate. He just put the agreement into place and that was that. Not like the legal bickering that goes on nowadays. It was just, I will do this, you will do that. And it was done. That really appeals to part of me. Sometimes things are made SO complicated, everything has to be bickered out, people can't rely on the good intentions of others anymore and so on. It's like...come on folks. Can't we just trust each other?

I suppose not though. Even though God laid out very clearly the behaviours expected... circumcision for all and any that aren't are to be cast out. The people of God still rebelled against him. I suppose that's the way human nature has been affected by sin. We don't like being told what to do. We like being able to do our own thing. And hence the need to spell everything out very clearly and having penalties as part of contracts (covenants) between each other.

and then God promised Abraham a son. A son which would be born to his wife Sarah. And God listened to Abraham's request that Ishmael also be blessed. He did reiterate though, that the blessing of nations would come through Isaac. That Isaac's people would be the people of God.

I can understand Abraham being a bit "HUH? But we're old!!!! We can't have children any more and suddenly now we will?" Ah, that must have been hard for Abraham to believe and trust God in. I can just imagine how incredulous he felt when Sarah got pregnant. OH they must have danced for joy and rejoiced in God keeping his promise to them.

Psalm 10

I read this psalm and I know that it's a cry for God to act out against the wicked. To not let the wicked remain proud in their evilness. BUT when I read it, all I can think of is a young person that I know who doesn't believe that God exists and fights against the knowledge of such a thing. And oh it bugs me. How I wish I knew how to reach this person for God. All I can do is cry out to God like the psalmist did. God... turn him, change him, let him see that you are alive and well and acting in this world of ours (yours). 'Cause quite frankly I don't know what else to say or how to act to show that God is alive and real.