“Things aren’t always as they seem.”

That’s a pretty common bit of wisdom, to which, I would guess, that every person reading this could attest. We have all experienced circumstances that seemed to be one way but turned out completely different than we thought they might.

We know it—so why is it so easy to doubt God when our circumstances don’t match up to the promises we’ve been given in His Word? And why are we so surprised when things turn out even better (or worse) than we could have imagined?

That’s the nature of faith.

Two examples jumped out to me in today’s reading of Genesis 12-14. The first is the well-known promise to Abram as he received a command from God to leave his relatives and head to an unknown destination. Packing up his belongings, his wife, and his nephew, surely 75-year-old Abram began to imagine what his future held based on what God said.

I will show you where to go.

I will make you into a great nation.

I will bless you.

I will make your name great.

You will be a blessing

I will bless those who bless you.

I will curse those who curse you.

All peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.

Concerning the reference to becoming a great nation, Abram likely imagined in just a few short years his tents would be populated with copious amounts of children. The promises of God would grow dim, however, as years passed, and he and Sarai grew older and older without any sign of offspring.

It seemed to him that Sarai’s womb was dead, but things aren’t always as they seem.

Also, take Lot for another example. When Abram decided their flocks and households were simply too great for them to dwell in the same place, he gave Lot the first choice of the land before them. Lot looked around and spied the Jordan Valley—a well-watered oasis in this land of deserts boasting two vibrant cities, Sodom and Gomorrah. So, he chose this place for himself.

It seemed to him a good and profitable opportunity, but things aren’t always as they seem.

As we will read later, Lot’s choices only brought him sorrow. His wife and daughters are tempted by the bright lights of the city, and he soon gives up his nomadic country lifestyle, trading it to live amid the worst kind of debauchery, disrespected and mocked by his own family, and needing to be dragged out and rescued by God’s own hand.

Abram spent twenty-five years waiting for some sign of God’s fulfillment of all His promises. However, the only “great nation” he saw in his body was a single child gifted by God, and he remained a nomad until his death, albeit a very rich one who experienced a miraculous birth. While Abram never saw the full extent of God’s promises in his lifetime, we know that God did indeed make a great name and nation of him, blessed the whole world through his offspring, Jesus, and is still blessing and cursing the nations according to how they treat His people, the nation of Israel.

For Lot, things seemed good but turned out quite badly.

For Abram, things seemed hopeless but turned out quite good.

What made the difference?

Abram obeyed God, surrendering to the sovereignty of God over his life.

Lot “chose for himself” and suffered the consequences of limited human thinking.

Trusting God that things aren’t always as they seem is a key aspect of faith. It involves laying down our pride, being willing to wait for God’s best, abandoning our expectations, and surrendering the outcome to God. It also involves acknowledging that we don’t know all we need to know, that our vision is limited, and that things aren’t always as they seem.

What is it that you are facing today that isn’t turning how the way you thought it would? Take heart. Determine to let God choose for you, and when he does, determine to obey regardless of how it seems to you.