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When the government was ready to send out COVID checks, scammers sent out emails asking for account numbers and login information so that checks could be deposited electronically into bank accounts. Those who provided information to the scammers didn't see any deposits, but they saw their accounts empty quickly.
I know 2 lonely women who were caught up in online dating scams. They met someone online, messaged back and forth, and wanted to meet in person. Unfortunately, the man they wanted to meet lived several states away and was having a problem with some fraud on his bank account, so it was locked. Would the ladies mind lending him the money for the plane ticket, and then they'll get it back, in cash, when their new boyfriend arrives? As you can imagine, there was no arrival, no reimbursement and no relationship; just a well-executed scam.
One must be careful about placing trust, but any real relationship also requires it. To move beyond the surface interactions - "Did you see the game last night?" or "Let's do coffee sometime" - a relationship must develop trust; the choice must be made to go deeper.
Abraham experienced that in his relationship with God. By the time the events of Genesis 15 occur, Abraham has already accepted God's invitation to leave his homeland and follow God's leading to a new land. Abraham found that the land was experiencing famine, so he left, went to Egypt, and almost lost his wife to Pharaoh. God intervened, Pharoah sent Abraham packing, and Abraham returned to Canaan. Then, with God's help, Abraham successfully fought a battle to rescue his nephew, Lot, from enemies who took him captive.
Pause and imagine Abraham's emotions at this moment. He's living in a promised land that hasn't proven hospitable. He almost lost his wife to another man and had to fight for his nephew's life. God promised Abraham that his family would own this land, but so far, Abraham owns not an inch. Abraham has no family to inherit his property even if he owned it all! Is Abraham frustrated? Puzzled? Disappointed? Sorry he accepted God's challenge to come to the land? Afraid he's wasted his time and risked his life for a fantasy?
Genesis 15 begins, "After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." Evidence of Abraham's uncertainty can be heard in his response: "Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" Abraham has no children, so whatever God gives him will go to someone else's family. What good is that?
God counters in Genesis 15:4-5 (NIV), "This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir." He took him outside and said, "Look up at the sky and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
Abraham must now make the most important choice of his life. Abraham owns no land, has no children, and the future looks pretty bleak, but "Trust me," God challenges, "I'm going to give you a big family and they will own the whole place."
Genesis 15:6, one of the most important passages in Scripture, records Abraham's response to God's challenge: "Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Five times a New Testament writer will point to this moment in Abraham's life in order to explain the importance of faith in God. Faith is trusting God even when the evidence may steer in another direction.
You must make that same choice to trust God when He takes a loved one from you. You must trust Him to sustain through lonely and difficult times. To forgive the sins in your past, even when you haven't even been able to talk about that stuff or forgive yourself. To help you adjust to the empty nest or to retirement. To help you find another job. To carry you Home.
Let me make that choice easier. Just read Scripture and watch how it worked out for Abraham. God blessed. Abraham grew his family. His family (Israel) controls the land. James 2:23 summarizes, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend."