Here’s a rephrased version of your devotional with a memory verse:
Bible Reading: Genesis 15:3-6
Memory Verse: Matthew 21:21 (NIV)**
“Jesus replied, ‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.’”
Before God could bring Isaac into Abraham’s life, He had to change how Abraham spoke and what he focused on. Initially, Abraham couldn’t see how the promise of a child through Sarah could happen. But God corrected his words and showed him the stars, a visual representation of his future descendants. Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
However, even after this, Abraham still stumbled—he fathered Ishmael and lied about Sarah being his wife. These actions hindered his faith from fully bringing forth Isaac. It wasn’t God delaying the promise. This teaches us a valuable lesson: we often struggle with faith tainted by doubt. Jesus emphasizes in Matthew 21:21 that if we have faith without doubt, we can move mountains.
This shows us that overcoming doubt is essential for our faith to work effectively. Abraham’s journey illustrates that we need to work on eliminating the doubts that plague our faith until we fully trust in God's faithfulness. It wasn’t until later, in Genesis 18-19, that Abraham reached that level of faith—and within a year, Isaac was born.
Spending time in God’s Word is crucial to erasing doubt. Stay in the Word until your faith is strong, and watch your answer manifest.