JOIN THE JOURNEY JR.
Families Abiding in Jesus together
With shorter reading assignments and kid-specific focus areas, Join The Journey Jr. is designed to help parents disciple their kids and engage with Scripture in the best ways for their age.
This month's memory verse
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
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I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
Genesis 12
The Call of Abram
1The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
Psalm 67
For the choir director: A song. A psalm, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.
1May God be merciful and bless us.
May his face smile with favor on us.
Interlude
2May your ways be known throughout the earth,
your saving power among people everywhere.
3May the nations praise you, O God.
Yes, may all the nations praise you.
4Let the whole world sing for joy,
because you govern the nations with justice
and guide the people of the whole world.
Interlude
5May the nations praise you, O God.
Yes, may all the nations praise you.
6Then the earth will yield its harvests,
and God, our God, will richly bless us.
7Yes, God will bless us,
and people all over the world will fear him.
Abram was an old man living in the city of Haran when God chose him for a very special purpose. God told Abram to pack up and to move to Canaan. He went on to promise Abram that his family would grow to be their own nation and that they would inherit a land they could call their own. God even promised Abram that the whole world would be blessed through his family. Later, he renamed Abram Abraham as a reminder that he would be a father of many nations.
When God made these promises to Abraham, he and his wife, Sarah, had no children. And at their age, having a baby seemed impossible. God’s declaration that Abram would have countless descendants seemed an impossibility. Thankfully, even when things seem dire, God keeps his promises and always has a plan. God insisted that Abraham and Sarah trust in him.
God knew even before Adam and Eve fell in the Garden that we would need a descendant of Eve to rescue us from our sins. In the same way, when God made his promises to Abraham, God was confident that it would be through Abraham’s family that Jesus would come. It would ultimately be through Jesus that salvation would be offered to the world. This is how God would bless all the families of the earth through Abraham! And part of that blessing is the gift of the Holy Spirit, whom God gives to everyone who puts their faith in Jesus (Galatians 3:14). When we find ourselves doubting God’s promises, we need only look to stories like these that show he is powerful enough to overcome our doubts. When we feel trapped in moments of waiting, it can be helpful to remind ourselves of people like Abraham and Sarah who were promised something that seemed impossible for years.