Sunday 2 June, 2019

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.

After giving Lot the first choice of the land in which he will settle, Abram seems to have ended up with the second best – the hill country of Canaan. God however honours Abram, renewing his earlier promise of Chapter 12 v 7. He will bless Abram with multitudes of descendants. I think he was also positioning Abram to be the rescuer of Lot in Chapter 14 and to ultimately stand in the gap for Lot and his family in Chapter 18.

Abram’s response is to act in faith, by choosing Hebron and building a place of worship and sacrifice. This act publicly acknowledges that God is king and is a God to be trusted. His life is lined up with God’s purposes.

My response to God should be the same. Whether there are struggles, blessings or new challenges, my response is to be living by faith, acknowledging publicly that God is my king and my future is with Him.

I am writing this a week after the Sri Lankan church bombings on Easter Sunday. These events challenge my faith. Abram faced difficult events (famine, conflict with Lot, years of wandering in hostile lands, being on the receiving end of Pharaoh’s wrath) none of which seemed to line up with the promise of God that he would be a great nation (Chapter 12 v 1-3). Through it all he continued to worship the Lord. Our response should also be to put our “altar” on the land to show we are his even when others come against us.

Dear Jesus, when I can’t see how events line up with your promises or purposes, I will however, continue to proclaim your love, and trust in you. Amen

Written by Claire Moore