After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." But Abram said, "O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" He [God] brought him outside and said, "look toward the heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then He [God] said to him, "So shall your descendents be." And he [Abram] believed the Lord" (Genesis 15: 1 - 2, 5 - 6a, NRSV).

Has your relationship with God grown dull and cold? Are your relationships with spouse, children, family, co-workers and others suffering? You once knew and experienced the peace, joy, excitement, hope and inspiration of a closeness with God. You have known strong, healthy and fulfilling relationships with those around you. 

We often begin our day with both desire and commitment to build, grow and nurture the relationships that we value and make us feel "alive." Then the motions and grind of daily life and hard work to make a life get in the way of our keeping our promise. Not surprisingly, loneliness and emptiness strike us though we are surrounded by people who love us and we live among a crowd of people. And, we are saddened, regardless of how much we appreciate our "alone" time. 

There is a reason we long for relationships. Our desire for relationship is rooted in who we are created to be and in God's gracious invitation to be in relationship with us.

The Bible tells us that we are created in the image of a relational God--Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Built into our DNA is a sacred gene for relationships. This means that we are "hard-wired" with a sacred desire, thirst and longing for a relationship with God who first loved us. 

John Donne, an Anglican priest and writer, captures the essence and reality of this biblical truth, "No man is an island, entire of itself." In other words, not one of us is complete without relationships. Perhaps, nothing is worse or more dangerous than living without loving, trusting and supportive relationships.  

In Genesis 15, we are told that God "cut" a covenant with Abram to reward him with descendents more numerous than the stars. God's covenant was more than a mere contract between people of relatively equal power who reached agreement after negotiations with each making promises. The all-powerful God initiated the covenant, set its terms, declared it non-cancelable and promised to keep it, even if Abram and future beneficiaries were unfaithful. 

But, the covenant was more. It was God's way of reaching out to create a relationship with Abram.  It is also God's gracious invitation to us to be in relationship with us. God reaches out to us even if we reach back in doubt or uncertainty. Neither doubt nor uncertainty offend God. What bothers God is our fear of reaching back to Him and reaching out to others t.

Abram and his wife, Sarai, spent many days waiting faithfully for fulfillment of God's promise of a son and many descendents. God's blessings do not always come when we expect them. Often times, they come much later that we had hoped. But when we are in a relationship with God, we know that they are coming and will be right on time.  

God's covenant with Abram was God's act of unconditional love and pure grace. It still is! The cross is God's enduring sign that God is still reaching for us and calling us into relationship, unconditionally and graciously. With Jesus Christ's outstretched arms on the cross, God swept away our sins, faults, transgressions, shortcomings and every hindrance to welcome us back into relationship with God.

In Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, God is calling you to a vibrant, trusting, loving and caring relationship with Him. A deeper, more committed relationship with God will help you see grace in your life and to extend grace to others. It will become the solid foundation on which to build and nurture all other healthy, loving relationships. 

Is it time to examine your relationships with God and others? Is any relationship wanting for lack of devotion or because of inattention? Do you see others who are starving for a relationship? What are you doing about it?