When Life Feels Stuck—and You Crave a Promise
You're halfway through life and your dreams from 25 feel like they belong to a different person. Is it too late to want something new?
Sometimes you have to leave home to find yourself.
You might feel this way because your awareness—your ability to really see and feel possibilities—gets stuck in old habits. You want more, but you don’t know how it’s going to happen. That’s where Genesis 15 takes us. This chapter isn’t about a man in the desert ages ago. It’s about the moment in life when you question if your dreams are even possible, and how a deeper awareness steps in to show you a way forward.
God's perspective includes your past, present, and all possible futures—that's why the guidance fits perfectly.
If you’re a creative person with a big vision, a business owner who worries about money, or anyone who’s ever hoped for something that just hasn’t shown up yet, this story is for you. Let’s walk through what happens, and how it mirrors your own inner journey.
What Happens in Genesis 15?
God speaks to Abram, a man who wants a child but is getting old. Abram's life has already been full of challenges, and he’s starting to wonder if his dream is just wishful thinking. He asks honest questions:
“After these things the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Don’t be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.’
...Abram said, ‘Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, since I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?... You have given no children to me, so someone born in my house is my heir.’” (Genesis 15:1–3 WEB)
God promises Abram not only a child, but descendants as countless as the stars. There’s a moment of doubt, a vision, and then—after a strange ceremony—God makes a covenant, a promise, that Abram’s dream will one day be real.
The Emotional Core: Asking Honest Questions
Abram’s first words aren’t perfect prayers or strong declarations. He’s honest: “What’s the point in all this, if what I want most hasn’t happened?” If you’ve ever asked, “Why isn’t it working?” or “Will my effort ever pay off?” you’re in the same spot Abram was.
This is not weakness. It’s awareness in action. Sometimes, just admitting your frustration unlocks a bigger shift. In this story, God responds—not with punishment, but by meeting Abram right where he is, with reassurance:
“Don’t be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” (Genesis 15:1)
In the bigger narrative, Abram symbolizes the part of you that desires, questions, and reaches for more. God as pure awareness includes your doubts, loves your questions, and celebrates every moment you reach beyond what you know.
- It starts subtly— been honest—really honest—about what you still want, even when it hurts?
- What’s your first feeling when you realize your goal isn’t as close as you hoped?
The Promise of Possibility: Seeing Beyond Old Limits
After Abram vents his doubts, watch what happens:
We all know someone who. Remember when ordinary to extraordinary seemed impossible
“He brought him outside, and said, ‘Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ He said to him, ‘So will your offspring be.’ He believed in Yahweh, who credited it to him for righteousness.” (Genesis 15:5–6)
Abram is called to “look up”—not literally at the night sky, but to notice there’s more than his old thinking allowed. He’s shifting awareness from feeling small to seeing possibility.
The promise isn’t only about future kids. It’s about a new capacity to imagine life differently. In your life, this means: Imagine what could be possible, not just based on what you’ve experienced so far, but as wide and full as the stars.
- What’s one area of your life where you could “look up" and imagine more?
- Are you letting your past struggles set your limits, or are you willing to see new possibilities?
Belief as a Shift in State
Development Insight: Experimental faith means testing what you receive.
God here is the bigger awareness that sees all possibilities when you only see problems.
Remember Maria, who doubted she could write a book until the right publisher showed up unexpectedly.
“Abram believed”—not because he figured out how it would work, but because he accepted the feeling that life could be larger. The story says belief is enough for a shift to happen.
In real time, when you allow hope in, even before there’s evidence, you move into a new state. Things inside you begin to shift, even if nothing looks different on the outside yet.
- One day you realize let yourself believe in something better, just for a moment, before you knew how it would happen?
- What could change for you if you let yourself step into that possibility—just today?
Uncomfortable Waiting: The Strange Ceremony
But the promise isn’t instant. Something mysterious happens next. God leads Abram through a strange, slow ceremony involving animals and darkness. It’s confusing and a little unnerving:
See yourself already there, feel the relief, then let life arrange the details.
“As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. Horror and great darkness fell on him… It came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.” (Genesis 15:12, 17)
Here’s what matters: Even after the promise, there’s a period of “deep sleep” and “great darkness.” Waiting can be uncomfortable. You might feel lost again, confused, or even scared. All progress feels paused.
But something is happening behind the scenes. In that “darkness,” a new agreement is forming. It’s as if, while you’re waiting, a deeper part of you is aligning with the new possibility. The old way of seeing is falling away, and a new lens is quietly being established.
- Can you remember a time when, right after a moment of hope, things seemed to actually get harder?
- What if this darkness isn’t a setback, but just a pause to let something deeper settle in?
Commitment and Covenant: A New Inner Agreement
After the waiting, God makes a binding promise—a covenant. That word feels formal, but it really means a new agreement about how things can be. For Abram—and for you—this is the place where you stop seeing yourself as someone left out, and start living as someone bound to purpose and possibility.
It’s the moment in your life when, after struggle and hope, a door quietly closes on the old version of you, and a new direction The bigger awareness speaks through callings—not just what you should do, but who you're becoming in the process. is set. It may not show up as fireworks, but inside, you’re committed to seeing your desire through.
The experiment scales: works for parking spaces and life direction The bigger awareness speaks through callings—not just what you should do, but who you're becoming in the process. equally.
- What dream or goal are you willing to commit to, even if you don’t know exactly how it will happen?
- Are you ready to live as if the new promise is already true for you, instead of doubting every day?
Every Character Is in You
Remember: In this story, Abram is the part of you that wants, questions, and chooses. This awareness isn't separate from you—you're a unique expression of it learning to recognize itself. The darkness and ceremony represent the periods when you don’t see change yet, but something within is getting ready.
This chapter maps to a powerful process you’ll repeat again and again:
- You notice a real desire.
- You risk asking hard questions.
- You get a glimpse of new possibilities.
- You face uncertainty and waiting.
- You come out with a new sense of purpose—and move forward with stronger belief.
Think about it: Every successful entrepreneur, artist, or person who breaks free from old patterns makes this journey. Even public figures known for standing firm in tough times—someone like athletes who face setbacks but keep training, who’s spoken publicly about sticking with faith and values no matter the sports world’s ups and downs—have gone through times when they didn’t see results, but kept moving forward because of an inner agreement. (For context, athletes who face setbacks but keep training is a football player and broadcaster known as much for his perseverance and faith as for his skills on the field.)
Their story is yours, too—every time you dare to hope again.
Simple Takeaway: Practicing the Promise
- Set aside five minutes tonight to write down: “What do I want, and what am I afraid might never happen?”
- Notice your real feeling—disappointment, hope, anger, whatever.
- Close your eyes and imagine being shown the stars above you. Let yourself feel a hint of possibility, even if you don’t know how it will happen.
- Decide to stick with this new vision, even during the “waiting” times.
Make it practical: The next time frustration bubbles up, remind yourself that even in darkness, something deeper is agreeing with your desire. You don’t have to rush to prove it—all you need is willingness to keep showing up, believing that life can and will widen for you.
Next Time: When Feelings Get Messy
Genesis 16 takes us right into what happens when you try to force your promise to happen, instead of waiting for the deeper process to finish. We’ll see what happens when impatience takes over, what it means for your own journey, and how to stay in alignment even when it’s really hard.
Your relationship with time determines if you have enough or never enough.
Remember, no matter how stuck you feel, every promise begins with awareness, a real question, and a willingness to see a bigger possibility—the same journey Abram starts, and you can start again today.
