When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous."  

Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.  

God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her."

As we continue on our journey through Lent toward God's promise of eternal life through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ, we reflect upon the words in Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 about Abram's conversation with God. Abram is a man of great faith who has had previous encounters with God by hearing his voice and through visions. This encounter is the first time that God appears to Abram and identifies himself as "God Almighty."

This passage tells us about a covenant between God and Abram and Sarai. God's timing is always perfect. They have had a lifetime of ups and downs, as we all do. One of their most difficult issues has been that of being unable to conceive a child together. As we often do, they tried to fix the problem by providing an heir for Abram with their slave Hagar. This, of course, caused more problems than solutions. When Abram is 99 and Sarai is 90, after 24 years of silence, God promises them that they will have a son and tells them he shall be named Isaac, which means "May God Laugh in Delight." Of course, both Abram and Sarai laugh to themselves at the absurdity of this promise, and yet they believe. This promise would not have been nearly as improbable if they were a young fertile couple. 

This is a passage about faith in God's promises. It doesn't mean that our lives will be perfect or that we have to be perfect. A covenant is an agreement between two parties, each of whom has benefits and obligations; it is made by both and can be terminated by either. God's covenant with Abram and Sarai is different. God's obligations are many, and Abram and Sarai have most of the benefits. However, the one obligation that they have and that we have also is "walk before me, [God] and be blameless."

As we journey through Lent, let this be a time of growth in our faith just as it was for Abraham and Sarah.