Abraham Three – The Lord My Friend

Good morning.

Abram had quite a few adventures since we last visited him. “After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

‘Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward.’

But Abram said, ‘Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.’ Then the word of the Lord came to him: ‘This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.’  He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the sky and count the stars —if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness,” (Genesis 15:1-6).

This happened just after Abram defeated the kings and saved Lot from their hands. As a result the priest Mechizedek blessed him and Abram gave him a tenth of everything. It is interesting to note that the fight with the kings was about getting people and goods back and afterwards, when the Lord comforted Abram that He is Abram’s shield and reward, the first thing Abram was concerned about was the lack of an heir.

Abram desired to feel safe and surrounded by people and things and was even concerned about his wealth after his death – an heir - whilst the Lord only wanted Abram to desire Him; ‘I am your shield Abram and I am your reward.’ I sensed this almost passionate plea in the Lord’s words – ‘please choose me’. Don’t we do the same as Abram did?

Have you ever been rude to your father or mother and they just quietly stared at you, with hurt in their eyes, as you raged on. How have you felt when you came to your senses afterwards? Has the image of their hurt love flashed back to you repeatedly, causing you much regret? Maybe you’ve been in the parent’s position when one of your children did that and you silently stared at them, hurting inside. Do you think that is maybe how God feels when we choose idols above His love, especially Mammon (Matthew 6:24)?

But the Lord’s love is amazing and He understood that Abram was merely human and still had much to learn, so He gave him a promise to hold on to. When Abram believed Him, it was credited to him as righteousness. Was that all that was necessary to be in right standing with the Lord? He let Abram’s disregard of His offer, due to Abram’s concern about his own material wellbeing, pass by. He would learn in due time.

How do you feel when someone, to whom you’ve proved yourself, doesn’t trust you? Maybe hurt and rejected? What does the confidence and trust of another do for you? Does it draw you closer to that person and deepen the friendship? Faith and trust is everything to the Lord (Hebrews 11:6), which is why He became so angry when the Israelites in the desert still considered Him a stranger after He had repeatedly proven Himself to them.

How do you experience the Lord? Can you sense His presence and His love and do you sense when He is hurt by your unbelief and your idol worship? Is He real to you and does His feelings matter to you? He is a person with emotions and does honour our friendship with Him. An example of this we find in Exodus 32:9-14: “‘I have seen these people,’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.’” Even though He is sovereign, He allowed Moses to talk sense into Him: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2032:9-14&version=NIV.

This is what the Lord wants of us – a mutual love and understanding, which only comes if we show interest in- and spend time with Him.

Lord, please show me yourself?

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.