Coming Back
Opening Prayer
Think of a time when you “came to your senses” and turned back to God. Give thanks for God’s patience and grace.
Read Genesis 13:1-18
[1] So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. [2] Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. [3] From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier [4] and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD. [5] Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. [6] But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. [7] And quarreling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time. [8] So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives. [9] Is not the whole land before you? Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” [10] Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) [11] So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: [12] Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. [13] Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD. [14] The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. [15] All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. [16] I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. [17] Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” [18] So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the LORD. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Reflect
What did Abram sacrifice and what reward did he receive?After the “detour” to Egypt, Abram returns to where he had earlier built an altar and he again calls on the name of the Lord (12:8; 13:3,4). He gets back to the place where things between God and him were right, where God had his rightful place in Abram’s life. How important it is for us to be able to turn back to God, to know that he welcomes us again and again with open arms. Practical difficulties arise because Abram and Lot have become very wealthy. There is competition between them for the best pasture for their many animals. Abram is able to act with both wisdom and generosity. He has learned the lesson about not taking things into his own hands and now he is willing to let Lot make a free choice, trusting that God will fulfill the promise he made. This is such an important lesson for us to learn. When we trust God with our lives, our careers, our relationships, all our needs, we do not have to cling tightly to things in order to get our own way. We are able to hold things loosely, which allows for a generosity of spirit towards others.
Apply
Is there a situation in which you need to trust God? What will trusting God in everything look like in your life today?
Closing prayer
Lord God, I know You are entirely trustworthy and I’m very grateful for that. Help me never to forget it.
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