Category: trusting God

Is Now a Great Time for Revenge?

1 Samuel 21-24

1 Samuel 24 12 NIV

In today’s reading, we see more examples of Saul’s rebellion against God and his hatred of David.  Ahimelech the priest had inquired of the Lord for David. In his rage, Saul ordered that not only Ahimelech, but all the priests must be killed – so Doeg the Edomite, one of Saul’s goons, killed 85 priests, then went to their town and killed every man, woman, and child (and its cattle, donkeys, and sheep).  In chapter 23, Saul chased David and tried to kill him multiple times.

In chapter 24, David finally has his opportunity for revenge.  Saul was again chasing David. David and his men were hiding in the Desert of En Gedi.  Saul and 3000 chosen troops were in hot pursuit. Along the way, Saul needed to go to the bathroom.  He wanted a little privacy, so he stepped into a cave to relieve himself. Little did he know that David and his men were hiding further back in that very cave.

If you were David, what would you have done?  Would you have eliminated the threat to your life, and ushered in your reign as king?  To be perfectly honest, I think that’s exactly what I would have done. David’s men encouraged David to kill Saul, but instead, David crept up to Saul, and cut off the corner of Saul’s robe.

Afterward, David was conscience stricken and said, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.”

Wow!  Clearly Saul was a scoundrel, but David spared his life because God had made him king.  I think we can learn a lesson or two from David’s respect for the office of authority, even when the man in the office wasn’t worthy of respect.

This is exactly what we’re told to do in 1 Peter 2:13-14 – “For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.”

David’s actions also remind me of Romans 12:17-18 – “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.”

So too, we need to submit to authority, even when we don’t like the person in authority, or what they are doing.  Also, we need to be intentional about never repaying evil for evil.

To finish today’s story, because David had spared Saul’s life, Saul promised to leave David alone, and returned home (for now).  David and his men went up to their stronghold. God had protected David yet again.

Steve Mattison

(originally posted April 13, 2020 for SeekGrowLove)

Reflection Questions

  1. What do you admire about David?
  2. When have you found it difficult to pass when given the opportunity for revenge, a cutting comment, or having the last word? What is the world’s position on paying back evil for evil? What is God’s? What is the advantage to leaving it up to God to be the judge, rather than taking out revenge for wrongs done against us?
  3. In what ways do you think God wants to see Christians submit to authority today?
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Faith During Difficulties

1 Samuel 18-20
Psalm 11 & 59

Today’s reading, found in 1 Samuel chapters 18 through 20, highlights how far Saul has fallen from his successes of chapter 14.  (Remember from chapter 15, that Saul had deliberately disobeyed a direct command from God, and things have been going from bad to worse for him since.)

In 18:10-11, we read, “The very next day a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave in his house like a madman.  David was playing the harp, as he did each day. But Saul had a spear in his hand, and he suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall.  But David escaped him twice.”

Once Saul decided to abandon God, God not only abandoned Saul, God tormented Saul.  This should be a lesson to us – never disobey God – there are always negative consequences.

Saul became jealous of David, after David had killed Goliath, because the women of Israel sang this song, “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”  As a result of his jealousy, Saul tried to kill David with his spear in 18:11 and again in 19:10. Saul also tried to kill David by having the Philistines kill him in 18:17, 21, 25.   In 19:1, Saul urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. In 19:15, Saul ordered his men to bring David (and his bed) to Saul to be killed, when Saul thought David was sick in bed.  In 19:20, 21 and 22 Saul unsuccessfully sent troops to get David three times.

In 20:30, Saul boiled with rage at his own son, Jonathan, who was friends with David, and in 20:33, Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him.

So much for Saul, what about David?

If you were David, how would you react?  What would you do?

Remember that Samuel had anointed David in chapter 16, and declared that David would be the next king over Israel.  So what did David do? He wrote some songs about this. Let’s see what he said in those songs…

David wrote Psalm 59 when Saul sent his soldiers to watch David’s house in order to kill him.  This psalm starts out, “Rescue me from my enemies, O God. Protect me from those who have come to destroy me.  Rescue me from these criminals; save me from these murderers. They have set an ambush for me…”. This makes sense.  David was in trouble, so he cried out to God for help. David continues in verse 9, “You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me, for you, O God, are my fortress.”

Then an astounding thing happens.  David starts praising God – in advance of God’s rescuing him.  Psalm 59 ends with, “But as for me, I will sing about your power.  Each morning, I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.  O my strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.”

David, the man after God’s own heart was actually praising God when he was literally afraid for his life.  This shows his great faith that God will indeed rescue him. Maybe this is one of the reasons he was called a “man after God’s own heart.”

Psalm 11, the other chapter from today’s reading also shows David’s faith through difficulty.  It starts out, “I trust in the Lord for protection…”, and ends with “For the righteous Lord loves justice.  The virtuous will see his face.”

I believe David’s response is a good example for us.  When times are tough, it’s natural to cry out to God for help.  We need to move on from just asking for help, and follow David’s example to also have faith and praise God, even before the answer comes.  And in the process, we, too, may become people after God’s own heart.

–Steve Mattison

(originally posted April 12, 2020 for SeekGrowLove.com)

Reflection Questions

  1. Compare and contrast Saul and David based upon what we know from 1 Samuel.
  2. What do you see in your own life that is similar to Saul? And David?
  3. What does it look like to show faith in God during the difficulty?
  4. What difficulty (big or small) have you recently found yourself in, in which you can practice giving God praise even before the answer comes?
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Waiting

1 Samuel 13-14

What do you do when you think God is taking too long to answer your prayer?

If you are King Saul, you tell the priest to “withdraw your hand” (1 Sam 13:19) – meaning that God is taking too much time responding to a prayer request. King Saul believed that he had some sort of advantage over the enemy and didn’t want that advantage to slip away. So he took matters into his own hands, assembled his men, and went into battle. The outcome wasn’t too good.

Have you ever prayed for something so long, that you become impatient waiting for God to give you directions and end up rushing the timeline just to pursue your own desires, wishes, or dreams? Any time we read a Bible study about an individual doing something for him/herself rather than waiting on God, it never ends well; it’s always a disaster.  Why do you think that is?

After some careful self-reflection, I think that I’ve got it figured out for myself: It’s because I like being in charge – to be independent – to not have to rely on someone else’s timing. And even as I type these words, I know it’s ludicrous because my decisions are based on a very limited perspective; whereas, God has a completely different view of my life. His reasons for delaying an answer to prayer, is all about the timing that will give him the most credit.

So the next time you are tempted to move on without God’s response to your prayers, just remember that Saul  ended up making some outlandish ultimatums and in so doing, ended up discrediting himself and losing God’s favor.

Stay persistent in your prayers. Do not give up. Keep waiting for an answer to your prayers. At the proper time, God will provide an answer or solution for your need. And in the meantime, always remember that God is by your side – he has not abandoned you.

Bethany Ligon

Reflection Questions

  1. From above: “Any time we read a Bible study about an individual doing something for him/herself rather than waiting on God, it never ends well; it’s always a disaster.  Why do you think that is?”
  2. And: “Have you ever prayed for something so long, that you become impatient waiting for God to give you directions and end up rushing the timeline just to pursue your own desires, wishes, or dreams?” What was the outcome?
  3. What are some reasons God works on His time schedule not ours?

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Called, Changed, Qualified

1 Samuel 9-12

Have you ever found yourself in a position totally unprepared or unqualified? When I was in college for my bachelor’s degree, I took Cellular & Molecular Biology as part of my program to become a secondary science teacher. It just so happened that this was the same course that was required for pre-med students. Somehow, I ended up getting an invitation to join a study group with these pre-med students. After 5 minutes with these people, I realized that they were a completely different caliber of student – I was so out of my depth.

There have been other times in my life when my own inexperience and inadequacies seemed to cast a blinding glare onto the responsibilities that I had to carry out. Even now, after 23 years of experience in education, there are times when I have no clue on how to handle a given situation.

This is how I relate to Saul being approached by Samuel to become king of Israel. His response is that he’s a nobody, from the smallest tribe and his clan is the least of all. How is it that he has been selected to rule over an entire nation?

But isn’t that just like God to do something like that? God seems to select those who are the most unlikely to be successful. Why does He do this? What I have learned, is that it makes me more dependent on God and less likely to take the credit.

Being part of the FUEL leadership team for many years, I have seen time and time again when a situation developed that was bigger than our resources and everything ended up working out because we depended on God. Anyone out there remember the year that we stopped going to Taylor University and started going to Manchester University? Yeah, we weren’t sure if FUEL was going to happen that year. But with a lot of prayer (and hard work by the directors) we were able to gather again because God pointed us in the direction we needed to go. God provided us with exactly the right site, to work with the best conference staff, to continue to return for many years.

I recently read a phrase that I think is appropriate here: “God doesn’t call the qualified; God qualifies the called.” If you’re willing to be used by God, you will find yourself in circumstances that seem way out of your league. While you may not be so confident in your abilities, know that God is more than able to see you through. After all, it’s His reputation on the line and God never fails.

Bethany Ligon

(originally posted for SeekGrowLove on April 9. 2020)

Reflection Questions

  1. How did God prepare and qualify Saul? What do you think was included in God’s “heart change” for Saul (10:9) and the role of the Spirit of the Lord?
  2. From above: “God seems to select those who are the most unlikely to be successful. Why does He do this?”
  3. When have you felt unqualified for a job God sent you to? Did you do it? Did you have a “Samuel” who spoke God’s word to you? How did God change/prepare/qualify you for the job?
  4. How can you be a Samuel for someone else?
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Burn the Ships

Hesitant Hebrews

Joshua 16-18

It was so close they could almost taste the milk and honey on their lips – their Promised Land! After centuries of oppression and slavery under Pharaoh followed by 40 more years wandering free in the wilderness, the Israelites finally possessed the metaphorical keys to their inheritance. Many of the tribes ventured out right away for their assigned territories, ready to explore, conquer, and settle at last, but several tribes remained behind. Why wouldn’t they ropedrop this momentous occasion and charge with abandon straight to their inheritance?

Though I cannot speak for all the Israelites since I have not walked in their sandals, this is my speculation based on what I’ve read: they desired the path of least resistance. Though they were promised that the land would be theirs, they had to go in and take it. There were still other people living on those properties; it would require a lot of effort to drive them out. Yes, God had guaranteed that this land would be theirs, but that didn’t mean their possession of it would be effortless. In the beginning of their nomadic desert life, remember how they had longed to return to the familiarity of slavery and oppression in Egypt? Now, well accustomed to desert dwelling, they didn’t want to expend the energy to settle into the cities, which would still require them (albeit with the promise of success!) to conquer it. It was more comfortable to stay in their crummy environment than to embrace the best land that God had for them.

I am reminded of Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes who was determined to conquer the interior of Mexico, including the Aztec empire and a vast swath of land from the Caribbean to the Pacific. This fierce leader and fighter, frustrated that his men were too focused on the possibility of going home and too scared to invade this new territory, took away their temptation to retreat by doing what any extreme leader would do: he burnt the ships. Now, there was no turning back, no reason to not forge ahead and claim this land. 

Perhaps the seven tribes had become so lazy or complacent in their faith that they didn’t even care that God had something infinitely better in store for them. As C.S. Lewis said, “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

Ultimately, in part because the Israelites did not fully drive out the inhabitants of their Promised Land, God’s people became immersed in the culture, false gods, child sacrifice, and overall moral corruption of the people around them, which perpetuated the spiral of falling away from God and then begging Him to save them. Though written much later, Romans 12:2 would have been good advice for the Israelites (who were called to be set apart for God), and it is still wise for us as present-day believers to heed its wisdom: “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”

So, what ships are holding you back? What comfort, familiarity, or apathy is keeping you from fully following God? Sometimes I am a lot like the 7 tribes and Cortes’ crew. While I claim to desire God’s calling on my life, I often let the comforts of the present and anxieties about the future hold me back from fully embracing His plan for my life. Let us pray for God’s strength to follow wherever He may lead us. 

-Rachel Cain

Reflection: 

Watch this powerful music video about “burning the ships” and charging ahead into God’s will for our lives. 

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Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Deuteronomy 1-2

A time of reflection and recap of events as the Israelites prepare to enter the Promised Land. “For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.” (2:7) They’ve LACKED NOTHING?! They probably didn’t agree with that, but it shows how God provided for them the basics, which is ample for a person. He literally gave them their daily bread.

Moses reminded them, “The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight for you, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place. Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the LORD your God.” (1:30-32)

It’s amazing that we can do the same thing like the Israelites at times, cry out to get out of a difficult situation (Egypt), then afterwards when we’re out we complain again. But if they would’ve trusted that God would fight for them they could’ve been spared the long difficult 40 years. The wilderness was the ONLY way to get to the Promised Land, and their lack of trust made it even harder (and longer).

“Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb… and Joshua who wholly followed the LORD.” (1:35) Even Moses wasn’t allowed to enter as the LORD was angry with him too (or, had been angry and was following through with consequences).

Despite failures and difficulties Moses pressed on with the people until his departure. This reminds me of parenting! It’s difficult and rewarding! One of my main parenting verses that encouraged me over the years, besides Deut. 6:4-7, is 1 Peter 4:12,

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

– Shalom y’all, Stephanie Schlegel 🙂

            (From Israel and Tennessee:)

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. Have you had to endure a difficult situation for years? How did God sustain you through it?

2. Is there an issue you’re dealing with that if you’d wholly trust God, the situation would be better? Are you taking matters into your own hands or trusting God with it?

3. Reflect over this last month how God’s provided for you and thank Him for it!

4. How does looking back better prepare the Israelites for looking ahead? How can it benefit you?

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The LORD God: Past, Present & Future

Numbers 23-25 

Today’s chapters 23-25 (and 22) are like an action movie with a lot of suspense! Balak, King of Moab, looked out at the numerous Israelites camped nearby and was greatly afraid. He called upon a sorcerer to come and curse them, which God didn’t allow him to curse but blessed them! 

Interestingly, Balaam (sorcerer) was confronted three times to go, three times his donkey refused to proceed and was hit, and three times he built seven altars and sacrificed a bull and ram on each (21x). Not sure of the significance of the tresome repeats but does show the intensity of the situation!

The Spirit of God came upon Balaam and he blessed Israel three times. In the three different oracles a meaningful phrase struck me with each one.

  1. “How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?” (23:8)
  2. “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.”  (23:19)
  3. “A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.” (24:17)

These biblical accounts are written in past, present, and future. God has not cursed or denounced the Israalites. God is not a man, nor past nor will be! Lastly, God will have a future dynasty in Israel.

This is not what Balak wanted to hear, but Balaam obeyed God’s command to only say what he was told to say. Unfortunately, he advised Balak further on how he could bring harm to Israel, and his advice unfortunately worked. The Israelite men were seduced by the foreign women to worship their gods, which brought great anger to the God of Israel. Sadly, more than 20,000 were killed in the plague as a result.

Do you have God’s number on speed dial? It’s easy to remember …Jeremiah 33:3

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel.” 

He’s ALWAYS available, never sleeping anytime of the day.

-Stephanie Schlegel

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. Who do you call upon for help? Depends what kind of help we need, right?

2. What’s God’s “phone number?”  Do we go to the throne or phone when we need help?

3. Is there something today that you’re afraid of? What care needs to be cast upon Him today because He cares for you?

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Fear or Faith? Panic or Peace?

Numbers 13 & 14 and Psalm 90

Some of you may be old enough to remember the old Sunday School song, “12 Men Went to Canaan Land” and you held up your ten fingers and then gave the double thumbs down when you sang “10 were bad.” Then you held up two fingers and gave two thumbs up while you sang “and 2 were good!”


In today’s reading we see the stark difference between fear and faith and why 10 were bad and two were good.


In chapter 13, twelve spies, one from each tribe in Israel, came to scope out the land of Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey, the land God had promised.


In his commentary, David Guzik, reminds readers that there was no need for this reconnaissance mission. According to Ezekiel 20:6, God had already searched this land and promised it to them. So some people were already distrusting God from the beginning.


“Some saw giants big and strong,” 10 of the Israelite spies came back with scary accounts of many giants in the land that made the spy’s look like grasshoppers. One theologian stated that “fear performed the miracle of adding a cubit to the stature.” 😉 and on top of that, the city is heavily guarded! Obviously, there was NO way to defeat them!


“Some saw grapes in clusters long.” All of the spies agreed that the land was made of fertile soil and it would be easy to grow wonderful food there. This was definitely the place God had promised them!


“Some saw God was in it all,” But only two spies, Joshua and Caleb, had unshakable faith that God would deliver what He had promised and bring them into this land.


I love how F.B. Meyer put it, “ They saw the same spectacles in their survey of the land; but the result in one case was panic, in the other confidence and peace. What made the difference? It lay in this, that the 10 spies compared themselves with the giants, whilst the two compared the giants with God.” WOW! Did that statement convict you?!? It sure convicted me!


It’s easy for us to figure out who was good and bad back in the Old Testament. Hindsight from over 3000 years ago is 20/20. But what about you? When troubles come your way, which spy describes your response? Are you comparing you to your troubles, or your troubles to God?


“10 Were Bad and 2 Were Good!” Which one are you?

-Maria Knowlton

Reflection Questions

  1. How is Caleb described in Numbers 14:24? is there anyone you know today who could also wear that description well?
  2. “10 Were Bad and 2 Were Good!” Which one are you? Do you generally compare yourself to your troubles and experience fear and panic? Or, do you more often compare your troubles to your God and rest in faith and peace?
  3. What was the reward for Caleb and Joshua? What was the punishment for the 10 spies? What was the punishment for all those who listened to and trusted the report of the spies? Who are you listening to today? How does who you listen to today determine whether you will receive a reward or punishment?
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Family Isn’t Everything

Genesis 20-23

I have never seen a beautiful piece of wall art with the words “Family Isn’t Everything”.  I’ve never seen it on a Mother’s Day mug or bookmark, t-shirt, keyring or tombstone.  Rather, we are all very familiar with the motto “Family IS Everything”.  Whether it’s from the Walmart aisles, Etsy and Pinterest sites or President Biden’s farewell address, we’ve seen it, we’ve heard it, we’ve lived it.  It’s a societal norm or expectation.  Those who can’t say Family Is Everything might have really really bad families or really screwed up priorities.  OR – they just might be listening to and obeying God and working hard at keeping God and God alone first place in their life.  I have a feeling we wouldn’t find Abraham wearing the “Family is Everything” t-shirt.  And God blessed him for it. 

No doubt Abraham loved and cherished the family that God gave to him.  Can you imagine waiting 100 years for the child you could keep?  Today’s reading also describes his heartache over losing/sending away his firstborn son Ishmael.  Being a parent is hard.  Being a godly parent is also not easy.  But I am reminded, perhaps as Abraham was, of the purpose God had in giving Abraham a child which was recorded in yesterday’s reading.  In Genesis 18:19 God said, “For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”  In teaching Isaac to keep the way of the Lord, Abraham needed to live it out himself – not by doing what the world says is right (“family first”), but listening to and following through with what God says, even when we don’t understand why. 

And Abraham did.  When God said “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you” – Abraham did – “and he rose early in the morning” and got moving. (Genesis 22:2,3 ESV).  I admire not only his actions but his speed and timing in listening and obeying.  He got going and followed through.  He also had a three day journey in which he could have changed his mind, turned around and decided family is everything.  But he didn’t.  He continued onward to the exact place that God told him to go.  At the start he knew he was heading toward the region of Moriah and God would tell him which mountain to go to.  I read online that some say the mountain God sent Abraham to was Golgatha, in case you are looking for more foreshadowing and similarities between what God was asking Abraham to do and what He Himself (the loving, righteous and just God) would do for us with His only son whom He loved.  Thankfully God did not let His perfect love for His perfect Son keep Him from offering Jesus up to save the guilty condemned, you and I.  God’s t-shirt would not say “Family is Everything” but maybe more along the lines of, “I gave everything for my adopted family”. 

But, one more point about this mountain that God sent Abraham to…for it was there that God had a great surprise hiding – a ram caught in the thicket by his horns.  And it was there that God provided for Abraham and Isaac in a very big way. If you haven’t read Genesis 22 yet today, please do. I am guessing God didn’t place a ram stuck on every mountain nearby just in case Abraham decided to end up at a different mountain than the one God told him to go to.  Similarly, if we are looking for God to provide – let’s show up on the mountain He tells us to go to. 

-Marcia Railton

Reflection Questions

  1. What does it look like when we live by “Family is Everything” and put family before God? What does it look like when we love the family God gave us dearly and set an example for them of being righteous before God and putting God first?
  2. Is there anything you have tried to withhold from God? What does it mean to you that God did not withhold His Son?
  3. Have you ever been upset God didn’t provide as you wanted Him to – and then realized you were in the wrong place to receive what He had all prepared and ready to give? Does it count to do most of what God says if you aren’t prepared to do all of what God says?
  4. What do you think of Abraham? How do you think he earned the title “Friend of God”? Would you like to be known as a friend of God – could you honestly wear the “Friend of God” t-shirt? What specifically can you do today, this week, month and year to grow more and more like a true friend of God?
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Show Me the Land

Genesis 12-15

The first 9 verses of Genesis 12 hold SO much promise!  In fact, we’ve all heard of a lie that starts out small but just grows and grows – that’s bad.  But, what about a TRUE promise from the Lord Almighty that starts out in verse one and just grows and grows and becomes one of the largest and very best promises in the world?  Sometimes this is referred to as the Abrahamic Covenant. 

In Genesis 12:1 the Lord calls Abram (whose name will be changed to Abraham in chapter 17) to leave his country and father’s house and family to go to a land that God himself will show to Abram.  God is telling Abram to leave the known and comfortable and so much of what has been important to him thus far.  But God says when Abram does this, God Himself will show Abram the land that God has already picked out and reserved for Abram.  In the next two verses we see 7 promises given to Abram:

  • I will make of you a great nation
  • I will bless you
  • And make your name great
  • So you will be a blessing
  • I will bless those who bless you
  • And him who dishonors you I will curse
  • And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.     (Genesis 12:2-3 ESV)

That’s a lot of promising promises!  He is going to bless Abram in some big ways so that Abram can be a blessing to others, even to all the families of the earth!  And God’s not done – He’s got even more good news for Abram.  But first, Abram has to get moving.  He has to believe the promise enough to start acting on it. 

And he does.  75 year old Abram leaves his comfortable couch in Haran and starts out, not knowing where he is going or what the land will look like or when he will get there or what he will have to pass through to get there, but believing that when the Almighty gives His Word He is good for it and good will come of it.  So, he moves out in search of the land God will show to him.  I love that part!  Sometimes decision making is hard and we find ourselves overthinking or second guessing so we don’t move at all.  But God told Abram you get moving and I will show you the land!  Maybe that means you go through some lands that aren’t the right fit and isn’t what God is saving up for you, maybe you try some ministries that give you more experience and empathy but aren’t where God is going to plant you.  It is okay.  It is part of the journey.  You keep moving.  You keep trusting your faithful God to show you when THIS is the land He chose for you.

Can you imagine all the feelings old, childless Abram who got moving and has just travelled about 550 miles from Haran and was now passing through the land of Canaan would experience in verse 7?   “The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ’To your OFFSPRING I will give THIS land.’”  The promise just exploded and got so much larger!  Not only was he now SEEING the land God had said He would show him, but now he also heard that he would somehow, someway yet have offspring?!?  Abram’s response – he built an altar to worship the Lord, which also acts as a witness to others.

Sometimes we question God’s timing of the fulfillment of His promises.  Is it now, God?  When God showed Abram that this was WHERE, the question became WHEN.  It wasn’t time for him to settle there, yet.  But it was then also promised to his offspring, yet another great part of the promise. 

It is good news for us that God does not take back his promise from Abram when Abram is less than perfect (telling less than the truth to try to protect himself in Egypt).  In fact, it is after this that the promise has yet another amazing addition with some incredible implications for you and I.  Genesis 13:14-16 (ESV) says:  “The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, ‘Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.’”   Did you catch the NEW piece of the promise?  It’s a little 7 letter word that never ends!  This land would be given to Abram and his (as of yet non-existent) offspring that would become as numerous as the dust of the earth FOREVER!  Abram’s response – he builds an altar to worship and witness and he settles into the land that God had promised and God had shown! 

As beautiful as those chapters are – don’t miss chapter 15.  Abram is having some doubts.  How could all this be?  Sure, it sounds great, but he still doesn’t have any offspring! How long God until your promise is fulfilled?  The word of the Lord comes to Abram and it is the first recorded time the beautiful, comforting, often repeated phrase, “FEAR NOT!” appears in the Bible.  Why do we fear not?  Because God tells us HE is our shield and our very great reward!  HE has given a very great promise and He is working out the details.  He has chosen the land and He will show it to those who believe enough to get moving and in His perfect timing we will settle there and in His perfect timing we will see and cherish our offspring as numerous as the stars.  Verse 16 is quoted 3 times in the New Testament:  “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” He believed.  It doesn’t say he understood.  He didn’t have to engineer the plan.  He had to believe, and move, and let God show him the land. 

Dear Lord, thank you for your promises that are always true and that just keep getting bigger and bigger. Please show me the land You have chosen for me to settle in – both now and when Jesus returns to set up Your Kingdom on this land. Help me get moving in the direction You have laid out. Thank you for the offspring you have blessed me with, help me also see and care for the spiritual offspring you have given. Help me worship You and be a witness to all You have already done and all You have yet to do. Thank you for being my shield and very great reward! Help me remember this so I do not fear but always believe in you and Your great Son. Thank you for your Word, and for keeping it FOREVER!

-Marcia Railton

Reflection Questions

1.When was the last time you made a covenant, a promise, or gave your word?  Can your word be trusted?  Can God’s word be trusted?  How do you know?  (Notice that God gave an example in Gen 15 of how trustworthy His word would be when he foretold the 400 years in Egypt and the exodus.  Who do you think God included this information for?)

    2. In what ways has God blessed you so that you can bless others?

    3. What might have happened if Abram would have declined God’s offer and promise to show him a new land?  Maybe he was just too comfortable in Ur, and then Haran?  Maybe he had a project he wanted to finish?   What if he loved his family too much to leave?  What might be holding us back from setting out to find the land (or purpose or ministry or Kingdom) God has reserved for us?  What might we miss out on if we stay where we are known and comfortable? 

    4. What similarities and differences can you find between God calling  Abram which begins the Abrahamic Covenant and 2,000 years later Jesus calling the disciples at the start of the New Covenant?  How are the two covenants connected?  Now, 2,000 years after Jesus’ call, what do you feel you are being called to do?  What part(s) of the Abrahamic and New Covenants are still being worked out by a faithful God?  What land has God already shown you and what land are you waiting for your shield and very great reward to show you? 

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