As I read our passage for today I struggled with which direction to go....it all seemed so heavy! I could light into Lot and his disgusting and shameful offer extended to the perverted men of his city. Or I could travel down the road of his daughter's behavior and their lack of faith in God. Or...there is chapter 20 where we find Abraham still lying about Sarah being his sister. I was relieved to come upon chapter 21 and find that after 25 years of waiting, Sarah is finally going to see the fulfillment of God's promise to her with the birth of Isaac, and that is definitely cause for rejoicing. But the narrative quickly shifts to the banishment of Hagar and Ishmael and I am faced with another difficult topic. Goodness!
But then.....as the day's reading is drawing to a close...I read these words in 21:33,
"and [Abraham] called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God."
I found this to be the most refreshing verse of the entire assignment today. These are words we can all take comfort in. It is a beautiful reminder that while we all will all make poor choices, sin, and lose faith in God - the name of our God is Everlasting.
- We don't have to sin or compromise (19:8) because God can protect us and our families.
- We don't have to take matters into our own hands (19:31, 20:2)) because God has not lost control.
- We can be assured that God keeps His promises (21:1, 21:17).
Why? Because our God is Everlasting. He cannot be taken by surprise or have His plans thwarted. We can find strength and protection in His name. We can find rest in His love. We can be confident in His word. He is Everlasting.
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