Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: – Genesis 12:1
Setbacks. We all face them from time to time. Things seem to never go the way we plan them—or do they? Or should I say, “Would they?” Yes, they would if we would just get out of our own way.
Most of us are like Abram. Instead of focusing on the journey directed by God, our flesh gets in the way, causing us holdups, impedances, and interruptions because we are too busy trying to fix things we have no control over.
The request of God was: 1) “Get thee out of the country;” 2) “And from thy kindred;” 3) “And from thy father’s house.” Like most of us, Abram struggled to follow simple instructions.
For the next 25 years of Abram’s life, he faced setbacks he never saw coming because he decided to take Lot with him. Yes, Lot’s father died, and his grandfather raised him. Abram’s father died, and Lot was left seemingly alone. Abram, doing what most of us would do, made the decision to take Lot along.
As a result, there were problems between the herdsmen of Lot and Abram. Then the decision was made to go different ways. Lot was captured, and Abram assembled his trained servants, armed them, and went and freed Lot. Along comes the son Ishmael by Hagar, then Abram prays for Sodom and Gomorrah because his nephew dwelt in the place God was planning to destroy.
At 100 years old Abram began planting groves he should have planted 25 years earlier, but he would not follow the command of God. The thing you should have accomplished years ago might very well happen if you will follow God’s plan rather than your own.
Our prayer for you this week: May you learn to trust the plan of God.
