Remembering Promises in Boredom

But Abram said, “Lord God, what can You give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Abram continued, “Look, You have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house will be my heir.”

Now the word of the Lord came to him, “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”

– Genesis 15:2-5

Out of 66 books in the Bible, my favorite books to reread are those like Genesis that are driven by narrative. It reads like a novel; we read about the lives of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and we end with the people of God living in Egypt due to the famine. Exodus picks up with the whirlwind of Moses’ adoption, calling by God, plagues and Passover. We then slow down in the narrative to Leviticus where we read the law and the word “clean” and “unclean” frequently. By the time I get to Numbers, I’m ready for more action but am instead confronted with a series of genealogies.

And I would venture to say that it’s at this point many of us have broken our New Year’s resolution to read through the entire Bible, cover to cover.

Or at a minimum, we scan through the names and keep flipping until we hit a passage of Scripture we deem “more substantial.”

But as I hit these genealogies in my reading this week and felt the temptation to skim and move on, the Lord reminded me that His promises are revealed in these men. What I viewed as boring and monotonous, the Lord reveals as His glorious plan and fulfillment of His promise.

I felt this reminder so strongly in fact, that I went back to read the promise that God has fulfilled –the same passage we have begun with today. That God took one ordinary man and his barren wife and multiplied his descendants so much that they were filling the earth.

In fact, I had missed some crucial words that begin the book of Exodus:

A new king, who had not known Joseph, came to power in Egypt. He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and powerful than we are.” (Exodus 1:8-9)

In just a few generations, God had already shown the start of His promise.

In my own life, I find myself bored sitting at my desk at work or cooking dinner every night. I get caught up in the feeling of monotony and ask God to do something about it. My selfishness blinds me to the truth that some of the most “boring” parts of my day are actually some of the biggest blessings God has given me.

What areas in your life do you struggle with discontent due to your boredom? How might these areas actually be blessings from God?