In Genesis chapter seventeen, God appeared to Abram at ninety-nine years old and gave him a word of advice for him and his wife. The response from Abram is that he fell on his face and showed reverence and did not say anything but listened. The condition for all the things God told him that will come to pass in simple terms is to “walk before me and be perfect.”
Imagine God coming to advise that? All we have to do is follow his instruction and be obedient. However, the response from some followers might be that the Almighty is asking too much because many would say it is impossible to live a perfect life. God knows that, but He wants us to make an effort to do so. That includes not deliberately saying or doing something contrary to His commandments and His Word. God sees our hearts and knows those who are honest and who is not.
Abram, in this situation, was ninety-nine years old, and Sarai was long past the age of having children. However, thirteen years after Ishmael’s birth and twenty-four years after God’s original promise, the Lord appeared to Abram with a message and a demand. First, God reveals Himself as the Almighty God, meaning that He is all-powerful and nothing is impossible for Him. As Almighty God, He could fulfill His promises when no natural way seemed to exist to accomplish them. So, God would bring Abram’s promised Son into the world by a miracle.
Second, God demanded Abram walk before Him perfectly: which means dedication to performing His will. Previously, Abram’s faith was necessary to receive God’s covenant, so a sincere effort to please God requires the continuation of God’s covenant blessings. Abram’s faith had to be accompanied by obedience, or he would disqualify Himself from participation in God’s eternal purposes.
God’s promises and miracles will only occur when His people seek to live blameless lives and keep their hearts turned toward Him.