He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my Lord, do not pass your servant by,” Genesis 18:3 (Genesis chapters 18 &19)
The culmination of God’s plan and timing has come together and while Sarah is way beyond the season of child bearing and Abraham is very old, 99 years in fact, God says, “In a year it will happen.” In this, only God can claim glory and Isaac is born, the covenant son. Lot’s family is threatened by the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah but Abraham intervenes. Known as God’s friend, Abraham speaks on behalf of the innocent in the company of the wicked and we see that it goes against God’s nature to destroy and a final judgement is never a first option.
Three visitors came to Abraham’s tent, near the great trees of Mamre, in the middle of the day (during siesta) and Abraham offers them the highest hospitality. During this visit, the promise of a longed for son becomes a reality and Abraham, as a friend of God, pleads for the innocent people of two cities and the home of his nephew Lot’s family. God shows His compassion for those who choose to live in righteousness. When we read the Biblical narrative it is easy to delete the freewill factor. It seems that everything is just God’s predestination and we are pawns in His game. It is not so! Do not fall into a trap of excusing bad things as fate, ill luck or karma and then denying gratitude for blessings because it is your due, or a happy coincidence. Abraham was called, and he went. The journey wasn’t without it’s real life episodes, but it is the story of a Trustworthy God and a faithful man.
Seek right and healthy relationships. Make wise promises and keep them. Ask for forgiveness, accept it humbly. Commit your life to God and walk forward in peace.
Love,
Gretchen