Tag: Praying

Pass It On

The county fair is on this week– seven days of community-wide activities, including, but not limited to:

super dog hot dog food stall in front of ferris wheel during nighttime
  • Carnival rides
  • Games
  • Concerts
  • Exhibits of home arts, fine arts, craft items, and locally grown produce
  • Carnival food booths– pulled pork, corn dogs, elephant ears, ice cream, sno-cones, cotton candy, caramel corn, sausages on sticks, fried cheese curds, fried veggies (with ranch dip), cinnamon buns, fruit slushes and “shake-ups”, pizza, steak wraps, fried rice, tamales and burritos, craft root beer, funnel cakes, popcorn, caramel apples, and so much more to choose from!
  • Farm animals on display everywhere– pigs, chickens, cows, horses, ducks, geese, turkeys, goats, sheep, rabbits, pigeons, cats, a burro, an emu, and probably more that I missed–perhaps a mule or an alpaca!
  • Youth competitions for animal showmanship, arts and crafts, etc.
  • A quilting competition
  • Commercial and community booths featuring local businesses, churches, political groups, schools, and services
  • Free live entertainment venues
  • Antique and new tractors on display
  • People– lots of people…some of them who live in the area, and some who visit from neighboring counties and states.

What does the County Fair have to do with prayer?  I suppose for some, there is no connection.  For me, there are two ways prayer goes hand in hand with the County Fair:

blur focus jam jars
  • The local Fair is a long-standing tradition, tying the community together and celebrating its heritage and hope for the future.  All around the fairgrounds, there are banners and plaques honoring people who have given of their time and talent to this community– farmers, teachers, civic leaders, doctors, police officers, pastors, donors, veterinarians, business owners, parents, coaches, and helpers.  In each generation, people pass on their knowledge, enthusiasm, passion, and excellence to those who will use it, expand on it, modify it, and pass it along to others.  In the same way, prayer warriors of the past have inspired and led people to the knowledge and love of Christ– many of the names at the fair represent people who poured love into, and prayed for my generation.  They discipled, taught, cared for, and inspired me and so many others.   We don’t worship them as idols or honor them in place of God, but we honor the way God used their lives as examples for us to follow.  Even those who were not Christ-followers had talents and wisdom that they shared, and God used, to help others.  This is a tradition worth celebrating, remembering, and continuing.
  • The County Fair is a great place to see people I know but don’t always get to talk to
    • Classmates from school I haven’t seen in ages.
    • People I used to work with
    • Former students, from when I was a schoolteacher.
    • Neighbors, friends of my family, and people I know from church
    •  Family and extended family who still live in various parts of the county or surrounding counties.
    • People for whom I have been praying– because I have heard of their needs or seen an e-mail or FB post or talked to a concerned family member.
    • What an honor and a privilege to spend time (even a short minute or two) to catch up, encourage and be encouraged, or even share a smile or a memory!  I might meet up with someone who needs a hug, a simple assurance, or even an “on the spot” prayer.  I might also have the opportunity to reconnect, restore a relationship, or even meet a new friend.  In addition, I see exhibits with names of people I know– people I can be praying for with joy and gratitude for all that they mean or have meant in my life.
smiling women and men sitting on green grass

I hope, for anyone reading this, that you can think of times or opportunities when you can connect, reconnect, or form connections with others in your community.  Think of ways others have challenged, inspired, or encouraged you.  Take a minute to lift them up in prayer, and, if you have the chance, to pass on (or back) some of what they have given you along the way.  Imagine what even the smallest connection can do to spread God’s love to others.

 

 

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Of Flotsam and Jetsam

person riding a bicycle during rainy day

We’ve had a lot of rain lately– torrential bursts that turn our street into a river for a few minutes, before running into the sewer drains.  In that time, many small objects come floating by our apartment– fallen leaves, pebbles, cigarette butts, discarded plastic spoons, candy wrappers, etc.  The swift waters propel them from wherever they had been– someone’s drive, the alley, the parking lot–past houses and stores and toward the drains.  Some of them end up clogging a drain, forming a small pile of trash where there was none before.

In Hawaii right now, they are enduring a hurricane, with rains that are turning rivers into raging forces of destruction, eroding land, and spreading mud and debris across the islands and out to sea.

The opposite scenario is happening along several coastal areas, where debris from distant lands and/or garbage dumped in the middle of the ocean is washing up and landing on beaches, clogging up deltas and salt marches and having a terrible impact on the environment.

time lapse photo of brown grass on body of water

Flotsam and jetsam–the terms come up occasionally in literature or movies.  There are characters in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” with those names.  There is a chapter in Tolkein’s “Lord of the Rings” Trilogy (the ninth chapter of the first book of The Two Towers, for purists)  titled “Flotsam and Jetsam”.  There is even a band by that name.  They are almost always used in tandem, and most people use them interchangeably.

person holding plastic bottles and hose

But there is a difference.  Flotsam is considered debris that ends up in the water by accident, as in the case of a shipwreck.  Jetsam is something deliberately thrown overboard or “jettisoned”.  Legally, flotsam can be reclaimed by its original owner, while jetsam can by claimed by anyone who finds it.  more about flotsam and jetsam from NOAA.

Most of what I’ve seen floating by this week is neither flotsam nor jetsam– it’s a bit of both and it’s mostly garbage.  And that is what is causing so many problems along the coastlines, as well.  Our lands and oceans (and our lives, too) can easily get overrun by waste and packaging and excess.  We fill our lives with things that do not have any good purpose, and even if we dispose of them, they can come back to haunt us or hurt others down the road (or on another coast).

Today, I want to pray that God would continue to teach me to find my satisfaction in Him, and to watch out for spiritual flotsam and jetsam:

  • Flotsam– those useful things, people, habits, beliefs, promises, warnings, etc.  that get washed overboard or lost along the way.  May God reclaim relationships, help me relearn good habits, and restore joy in my salvation (Psalm 51:12)
  • Jetsam– those things I need to jettison–bad relationships, bad habits, faulty thinking, pride, clutter, etc.  In His power, and with His help, I need to cast such things aside, or better yet, put them to death and bury them, never again to be reclaimed. But I need to turn them over to Him. Just throwing them overboard may seem like a good temporary solution, but only God can bring true redemption, justice, and cleansing.
sunset ship boat sea

 

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Praying and Waiting

I write a lot about praying. I believe in the power of prayer. But I am often challenged by people who say, “God helps those who help themselves.” The power of prayer is not found in the people who pray but in the God who answers. And sometimes, those answers take time and require patience.

I’ve had prayers that were answered almost before I finished saying, “Amen!” But there are other prayers that tested my patience and my faith; prayers for which I’m still waiting for a definite answer; prayers that were answered with a final and unexplained, “NO!”

But some of the most amazing moments in my life have been the ones where God “showed up” at just the right (and seemingly last) moment. The time that we needed a certain amount of money to pay bills– and it showed up almost to the penny! Or that time I prayed about the teaching position. I lost out to another, more experienced candidate and spent much of the year doing substitute teaching in another county. And then, without warning, the school called to ask if I would consider coming back on probation for the same position I had lost out on– the teacher they had hired had developed significant health issues, and they needed a permanent sub for the end of the year. I was able to prove my worth, restoring order and bringing the classes back on track– I stayed for seven more years!

Waiting is not easy or pleasant. When I was almost five, I had a chance to go to kindergarten– My birthday is in November, and the school would allow “young fives”– students who would turn five before December 1st could interview for a chance to be accepted in the current year’s kindergarten. My parents considered it. I desperately wanted to go to school. But I had some lingering health issues from early childhood, and my parents worried that I would be susceptible to viruses and injuries. So, they held me back. I can still remember the ache of watching the school bus pass by my house– the humiliation of having adults ask if I was in school and having to answer, “not yet. I got held back.” It was like a badge of failure in my mind. “Not ready. Not healthy enough. Not good enough.” Years later, I can say that my parents made the best choice they knew how, and it worked out just fine for me. I loved school. I loved my classmates and teachers. And I had more time to be with my baby sister before I spent every day at school. I was older when I made decisions about college and career. I was more mature.

I waited a long time for a husband. I prayed for decades about marriage. And always, the answer seemed to be, “Not yet!” No explanation. No insight into whether I ever would be married. But in the waiting, I grew as a teacher and librarian. I found out that I could not have children of my own. I learned to manage on my own, and also how to reach out for help when needed. And I developed habits of Bible Study and Prayer that have become precious to me. My marriage is a fulfillment of patient waiting and listening to God’s voice, instead of making impatient and rash choices and shutting out the lessons along the way. Oh, and those children I could never have? I never had them. But I ended up with stepchildren and grandchildren who bless my life with love, laughter, and excitement.

God’s best is worth waiting for! I can testify to this on many levels. God doesn’t help “those who help themselves.” They literally “help themselves!” But God blesses those who wait patiently for Him. He doesn’t just show up at the last minute. He stays beside us in the waiting, He encourages us along the way, and He rejoices with us when we see the end from the beginning.

For more, see the following verses (and their context!):
Isaiah 40:31, Lamentations 3:25, Micah 7:7, Psalm 130:5, Romans 8:25, Psalm 40:1, Isaiah 49:23, 2 Peter 3:9, Psalm 27:13…

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I Am..

There are many ways to describe who I am (or who you are). I can describe myself in terms of my appearance, my social status, my occupation, age, familial role, or any number of other labels. These labels help distinguish me from other people around me, while also grouping me in with still others. Even my name functions in this way. My surname connects me with my current family; my maiden name with my birth family–my first name distinguishes me from my siblings within the family. However, there are many others in the world with either the same first name, surname, or both!

I know that I am a unique person, but I am not singular. That is to say that while I am a unique combination of genetic materials, with unique hopes and dreams, I still belong to the human race, to my family group, and to the culture and time in which I live.

Only God can say “I AM!” and not have to add any modifier. God is..God. There is no one like God–no label that can be applied to Him and to anyone or anything else. We use words like “King”, “Father”, “Lord”, “He” even “God”, but none of them convey the fullness, the enormity, the eternity of the great “I AM.” Many ancient cultures worshiped gods; supernatural beings who ate and drank, married and had families, ruled the skies or waters or land or underworld, fought, loved– some even died. But none of them could say they were “I AM”. I AM stands in the face of doubt and unbelief; I AM remains unchanged and unchanging in the face of progress and technology; I AM defeats our attempts to shrink Him into our own limited understanding and our own limited lifespan; I AM is ever present, ever aware, everlasting.

And this I AM created each of us to BE. Because of I AM, I can say that I am, too! And my purpose is to be, and to become more like He is, to the glory of I AM, and the fulfillment of what I am in Him.

Lord, Father, and the great I AM– help me to see you more clearly for who you are. Help me to become more like you, and more like the person you created me to be. Help me to reflect your glory in the words I speak and the actions I take today.

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Praying From the Pantry

I grew up in an old farmhouse. It had a small room off the kitchen, with a back door leading outside, a place for shoes and boots, a small sink to wash up, and endless shelves. Some people call it a “mudroom,” a place where farmers got rid of the mud and muck from working outdoors. But we didn’t own the farmland surrounding the house, so mom used it as her pantry. She used the shelves to stock up on canned goods, spices, canisters of staples like flour and sugar, and even Tupperware for leftovers. Dad used the sink to wash up when he got home from work at the factory, and we kept boots on a rug off to the side– handy when winter arrived, and out of the way for the rest of the year. Mom also used some of the space as a broom closet– storing a broom and mop and a few cleaning supplies.

I grew up taking this space for granted. But, looking back, it was a luxury to have so much space and to have it filled with food. Sometimes, we would get snowed in for several days, and we never had to worry about running out of food. These days, I have a couple of drawers and a cabinet for storage, and I am so grateful when I “run out” of handy storage space, for it means that we have plenty.

I am so grateful to God for His abundance in my own little ‘pantry.’ And its contents can also prompt my pursuit of prayer and worship! Here are some examples:

  • I am reminded that “I CAN do all things through Christ, who gives me strength!” (Philippians 4:13)
  • I have PEAS that “passes all understanding” to guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7)
  • Even when the FLOUR “fades and the grass withers”, the word of God stands forever. (Isaiah 40:8)
  • “A cheerful heart is good MEDICINE..” (Proverbs 17:22) Or maybe sometimes, a CHEERIOS heart?
  • “How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than HONEY to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103)
  • I am to be the “SALT of the earth” (Matthew 5:13)
  • If I have the faith of a MUSTARD seed, I can move mountains! (see Matthew 17:20)
  • “Be KIND to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 (Kind is a brand of snack bar with nuts and fruit)
  • I need to keep my heart in TUNA with scripture!
  • “I was young, and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for BREAD.” (Psalm 37:25)
  • God is SOUP-ernatural and sovereign over my life!
  • Even our COFFEE pods remind me of the great heroes of the faith– found in HE BREWS 11!
  • I am a new creation in Christ; “the old has PASTA way: behold the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
  • “He anoints my head with OIL, my CUP overflows” (Psalm 23:5)

And of course, I have many reasons to thank God for all the other blessings He pours out– in and out of my pantry! And often, I am reminded to share that bounty with others– both the bounty of food, and the bounty of God’s Word! Today, I pray that you have a bounty (BOUNTY, as in paper towels?) in your pantry, and that you have a bounty of scripture to encourage you and guide you through the day.

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The God of All Comfort

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 ESV)

What is Comfort? If you trace the origins of the word back to Latin, it comes from the same root as forte or fortify (fort, or fortare). The idea is one of strengthening, encouraging, giving courage and vigor. The prefix, com-, means jointly, or together. Comfort is what gives us strength as we come together. So, when I say that I am comfortable lying inert in an easy chair all by myself, I am actually missing the real gift of comfort.

Comfort is not the absence of pain or suffering. We cannot give comfort to someone who is enjoying a trouble-free life. In fact, when Jesus spoke to the crowds during His ministry on earth, He often made some people very ‘un’-comfortable by jolting them out of their self-righteousness and self-importance. Jesus did not lead a ‘comfortable’ life of ease and plenty; instead, He lived a life of comforting those in distress– the sick, the outcasts, the guilty, those who had little hope and even less strength. He went without many of the conveniences and securities we take for granted– a house, steady income, status, luxuries, a bank account, a college degree–He didn’t treat Himself to the perks of being a Rabbi or take vacations at a resort on the Sea of Galilee– instead, He spent some of His ministry calming the stormy waters and comforting His terrified disciples! (See Mark 4)

When we pray for someone to be comforted, we long to see them strengthened and encouraged. But sometimes, we also desire that God would make their life easy and free of problems. This is natural– no one likes to suffer– but the promise of comfort is NOT to make our life easy and full of constant happiness. The point of comfort is to help us strengthen each other, cheer each other on, encourage one another, and thrive together, no matter our circumstances.

Comfort, strength, encouragement– they are meaningless to someone who never has had to struggle. But to anyone who has felt alone and abandoned IN their struggles, comfort is a priceless gift– one that God gives us in abundance so that we can pass it on. It is exactly what Jesus practiced during His earthly ministry– He traveled dusty roads, enduring hardship and discomfort to bring healing and hope to thousands and gave His very life ‘a ransom for many.’ (Matthew 20:28 KJV)

Who could use your gift of comfort and encouragement today? Say a prayer of comfort– thanking God for the times He has given you strength and courage– and practice giving that comfort to someone else! Send a note, lend a hand, make a phone call, visit, give a smile to a stranger– it doesn’t take a lot– but make the most of every opportunity to strengthen those around you.

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I Sing Because I’m Happy

There is a great old hymn– His Eye Is On the Sparrow– and the chorus says:

I sing because I’m Happy,
I sing because I’m Free.
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

Full lyrics here

It is a great reminder that, as followers of Christ, we always have a reason to be happy and to sing his praises, even when circumstances are confusing or situations are trying.

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I love this old song, but sometimes, even though I have reason to be happy, I don’t feel like singing.  The same happens with prayer.  Some days, I’m just not feelin’ it.  It’s not necessarily that I’m miserable or angry.  Sometimes, I’m distracted, or even happy doing self-centered things.

I find it easier to pray when I’m sad or needy– my brokenness brings me closer to God.  When things are going along just fine, I sometimes forget the true source of my joy and strength.  I take for granted that God and I are close, not realizing that I haven’t spoken to him lately, or that I have whispered a quick, shallow prayer, but I haven’t spent much quality time with the lover of my soul.

There is an old Chinese proverb that says: “I don’t sing because I am Happy– I am happy because I sing.”

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At first, it may sound like this is a contradiction of the beloved hymn, but really it is a complement.  I sing because I’m happy, but if I sing no matter how I start out feeling, I find myself happier!  I pray because I want to be close to God, but I stay closer to God because I pray.  When I was younger, I used to base my prayer life on how I felt.  It’s yet another reason I now use a prayer journal. Read more about keeping a Prayer Journal  It keeps me disciplined and helps me maintain a stronger prayer life.  We all know that prayer is a key element in building a strong relationship with God and others, but it has to be practiced to be effective.  Other key elements are:

  • Reading the Bible/doing a Bible study
  • Fellowship with other believers
  • Obedience– Actively following God’s example
  • Confession/Forgiveness

Any of these elements can become lackluster and difficult, especially if we aren’t practicing them daily.  And all of the elements will become stronger through practice.  Not only that, but they will blend together better, and the end result is a stronger, healthier, happier you.

And that’s worth singing about!

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The Legacy of a Praying Father

My father was a quiet man.  He loved music, and jokes, and animals, and peaceful summer nights listening to crickets and sipping tea on the front porch.  My father was not a man of lengthy, eloquent prayers.  His prayers were often short and sometimes punctuated with emotional tears.  But my father prayed.  He led our family in prayer and devotions; he prayed in church on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings.  He spent much time, head bowed, talking silently with his Savior.

Dadmegreenreunion

I have often spoken of my mother’s prayers.  But fathers play a different role.  My mother’s prayers always seemed to wrap me in a cozy blanket of affection and hope.  My father prayers were more like an umbrella– spreading out over our family to seek God’s protection and grace.  Even if Dad’s voice wavered in prayer, his vocabulary was bold, filled with a rock-solid faith, and a deep sense of God’s power and wisdom ready to be poured out on our family.

But the most lasting impression I have of my father’s prayers is that of Dad’s reverence for God.  I never, EVER, heard my father take the Lord’s name in vain.  (Not even when his favorite baseball team was losing– again!)  I never heard him express doubt of God’s care, His provision, or His wisdom.  He approached the throne of grace with awe and deep gratitude.  He never lost his sense of wonder at God’s creation, or his sense of awareness of and need for God’s mercy.

green grass field during sunset

We need men of prayer.  I am so grateful for a husband who prays– regularly, fervently, compassionately, and boldly.  What would happen in our world if more men prayed daily in the quiet of their homes or places of work?  Our society makes fun of men who pray on public platforms, praising themselves as much or more than they praise God.  It denigrates prayer as weakness and hypocrisy, but what if more men of faith led their families in daily prayer?  What if, with trembling voices, more men sought out wisdom and strength to meet the challenges they face, instead of putting on a brave but false face of independence and self-sufficiency?  What if, instead of excusing vulgarity and cursing, more men took the challenge to clean up their language and set better examples?

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Yesterday was Father’s Day. We celebrate fatherhood, even though our culture often struggles to define what makes a “good” father. Men of Faith are not perfect; but they serve a perfect Father– God! And those who follow God can be great examples of God’s strength, His care, His protection, His Wisdom, and His joy! If you know men of faith– take some time this week to let them know how much their good example means.  If you know men who are struggling to become better fathers, point them to the Scriptures. Show them grace as they grow into men of courage and integrity. Encourage them to finish the race, to keep going, and to leave the kind of legacy that matters most.  And don’t forget to lift them up in prayer!

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Persistent Prayer

BethelchurchI grew up attending a tiny country church numbering only a few families.  Church was not just a place to visit for coffee and a sermon on Sunday morning.  There were no large screens, no light shows, no bands, no padded theater seats.  What we didn’t have in the way of amenities, we made up for with fellowship– pot lucks,  church-wide outings, bake sales to raise money for missionaries, and community-wide Christmas caroling every December.  We didn’t have a big budget or slick publications.  There was no website or gym; no trendy decor in the entryway, or sound system–we didn’t even have an indoor bathroom until I was about 6 years old!

  But there was prayer– lots of it!  Prayer to open Sunday School; prayer to open the service; prayer at the end of Sunday service; and Wednesday Evening Prayer Meeting.  This was, for the children, an evening of games, singing, stories, and socializing with our friends, all in the church basement (painted cinder block walls, industrial fluorescent lights hanging down from beams to light up folding tables and metal folding chairs on the bare cement floor, which was sometimes home to spiders, toads and even the occasional salamander).  But upstairs, it was all business.  An hour of adults in the community coming together to pour their hearts out to God.

As I became a teen, I “graduated” to the upstairs–to a young teen it seemed an interminably long and slow process of sharing requests, sharing praises, and taking turns mumbling and rambling and regurgitating all that had come before, this time with eyes closed, and some of the old-timers on their knees instead sitting in the un-padded and creaky wooden pews.  Sometimes, there would be two or three hymns or a short devotional to round out the hour-long service.

I know there are churches that still have mid-week (usually Wednesday night) services, and some of them are devoted to corporate prayer  (my current church has one, in fact).  But most of these services have died out– due, I suspect, to the view I described above.  Very few of us are devoted to getting out one night every week to spend an hour kneeling on a hard floor “sharing” needs with others, only to repeat them to God.  But I think somewhere we missed the point, and the value, of these gatherings.  In going to Prayer Meeting, I got to hear the hearts of three generations of people across our community– farmers, construction workers, teachers, retired grandfathers, teens like me, pastors, recovering alcoholics, homemakers, business men and women–people with wildly different struggles, triumphs, and needs, and in different stages of their Christian walk.  I heard the exuberance of new converts, and the steady faith of aging saints; the struggles of the brokenhearted widower, and the needs of new parents.

Perhaps the most valuable lesson from Prayer Meeting was about persistent prayer.  Week after week we reported answered prayers, but other requests seemed to linger.  Some who desired healing never found it (in this life).  Some relationships were never restored.  Some faced the same struggles with anger, or job loss, or loneliness over a period of months.  Was our prayer ineffective, or our faith deficient?  Did God not hear?  Didn’t he care?

I believe God heard every word; every groan, every sigh.  I believe he ached with every burden we brought before his throne.  I believe he was (and is) in the midst of every gathering.  And I believe that prayer is often like those conversations we have with our oldest and dearest friends about those same persistent problems.  God has the power to deliver us without the struggle, without the wait.  We don’t know why he allows some struggles to play out over years while others end in timely triumph.  But I believe that for every situation that challenges our faith and endurance, he is there for every tear, every question, every ‘SMH’ moment, every stumbling step forward.  And when we come together to share the burden with our neighbors, family, friends in fervent prayer– God is present, not just as the Father on his throne, but as the Son who cried out on his knees in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Spirit who interprets our groaning when words are not enough.

I say a lot of quick prayers; sometimes urgent, and often simplistic and even easy prayers.  I am slowly rediscovering the value of persistent  and corporate prayer.

 

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Winning the “Lot”-tery

The character of Lot in the Biblical book of Genesis is one that often gets overlooked in favor of his uncle, Abram/Abraham. Yet Lot lingers in the background, following Abram to Canaan, and later to the area between Bethel and Ai. (See the end of Genesis 11 and the beginning Genesis 13.) Curiously, we don’t hear anything of Lot when Abram and Sarai travel to Egypt during a period of famine. He isn’t there to support his uncle, or share his burden. He isn’t there to alleviate any of Abram’s fears relating to Sarai (See Genesis 12). Abram resorts to lying about his relationship, and causing difficulties with Pharaoh, but there is no mention of Lot until Abram and Sarai return from Egypt. Lot rejoins his uncle and they move into a fertile region– so fertile, in fact, that their flocks and herds soon grow too big for the area.

At the beginning of Genesis 13, things have come to a crisis point. Abram, as the elder, could have used his age and position to demand the best grazing land and force Lot to fend for himself elsewhere. But he doesn’t. God has already promised that Abram and he will become a great nation and own the land of Canaan. Abram, in faith, tells Lot that he can have his choice of the land– anywhere he goes, Abram will pull back and take the leftovers.

It must have felt like winning a prize–being given carte blanche– first dibs on the best land in the region, while your elder agrees to give you even more space to expand. And Lot makes the most of this golden opportunity. He chooses the best land in the area– well watered, green, and near wealthy centers of commerce and culture–what could go wrong?

Before we explore the answer to that question, let’s stop and consider Lot’s character and choice in comparison to his uncle’s character and offer.

Abram reveals much of his character in a pattern of “calling on the Lord.” He does it in Genesis 12:7, 13:4, and again after the separation from Lot in Genesis 13:18, where he built an altar. There is no mention of Lot ever calling on the Lord for anything. Not to seek His face, or give Him praise, or memorialize an event. Lot is not a giver– he is a taker. He takes advantage of his uncle’s wealth and standing time after time, but we never see him thanking his uncle or showing deference to him as an elder. This is not to say that Lot never showed gratitude or deference, but he seems not to have made a habit of it. In taking the best land for himself, Lot acted with supreme self-interest. He could have sought out good land elsewhere, leaving his older uncle in possession of good land close by. He could have taken time to consider more than just the obvious good points of the land he chose. But he didn’t. He jumped at what looked like an amazing stroke of luck. But in the end it turned out to be more of a curse than a blessing.

How often am I like Lot? When have I jumped at the chance to take the “easy” path, never bothering to consider how it impacts others? Have I developed the bad habit of taking “good fortune” for granted? Do I thank God, and those who have poured into my life, for their care and help? Am I dependable– am I “there” for my friends and family in good times and in times of famine, hardship, or pain?

Lord, help me to learn these lessons from your word. Help me to be more like Abram, and less like Lot as I go through the day and week ahead. And Thank You for Your character of faithfulness and grace, that chose to rescue Lot (twice!) in spite of his selfish choices. Help me to show the same grace to others I encounter.

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