“And when Abraham was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect” (Genesis 17:1).
Nearly twenty-five years before this, God had moved Abram and relocated him from Haran to the Land of Promise. Along with that monumental move had come the promise that childless Abram would be made a great nation and that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him, according to Genesis 12:1-4. After a series of steps of faith and failure, ninety-nine years old and still childless through Sarah, Abram stood before God. The LORD revealed Himself as the Almighty God or El Shaddai which gives the idea of Him being the most powerful, the highest, the Almighty God. This awesome Almighty God could well provide for Abram and meet his every need. The Almighty One told Abram, “Walk before me and be thou perfect.” The word “perfect” is that Hebrew concept of “living in entirety, being sound, being complete.” We could accurately say, “Live your life through God’s enablement, not to expect perfection in the sense of never making a mistake, but live in the sense of living in His truth and walking with Him in His ways.”
For today: If this was good for ninety-nine year old Abram, think of how it affects you and me today. By the way, Sarah wouldn’t be childless for very much longer. What an incredible El Shaddai He is!