A Work in Progress….

Genesis 19:5 They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”

The hierarchy as I live it is God first, then family, then others. There’s a hierarchy in the others, too, friends, acquaintances, strangers, etc. Lot is clearly acting from a different hierarchy, and his behavior seems beyond appalling.

Genesis 19:6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 

Sometimes it is hard to put God above family. That feels heretical to say, but if you’ll be honest, I suspect you understand. Our family is here. We know them well and love them deeply. But God has to come first because He knows our hearts, He loves us (and our families) deeply. He knows that we are human and fragile and ephemeral. He knows we need our roots sunk deeply in Him to hold on through the chaos and heartache of life.

Genesis 19:7 and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the knowledge that You must come first in my life, that I must sink my roots, my heart, my being, so deeply in You that I can survive the maelstroms of life without losing You or myself. Help me to put You first. Always. Help me to love my family, my friends, and all others through and with and in my fierce love of You. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 19:1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 

Commentary says that the fact that Lot was by the city gate indicates that he is a city leader of some sort. The fact that he “insisted so strongly” that the visitors stay with him instead of in the square indicates that he understood what would happen to them if they slept in the square. The fact that Lot is a righteous man who holds some position of power in Sodom indicates the questionable choices he has made of late.

Genesis 19:2 “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.” “No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”

I wonder if Lot was fully aware of how far he had allowed his personal moral code to slip. He “insisted so strongly” that the visitors stay with him, which seems to indicate that he knew they would be accosted if they stayed in the town square. So why did Lot stay? Why did he become a city leader in a place that would accost strangers in the town square? Did he realize the choice he was making by not making other choices?

Genesis 19:3 But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for this eye-opening look at Lot’s behavior. Help us to make intentional choices that draw us closer to You, that preserve the well-being and dignity of those around us, that lift others up instead of tearing them down. Help us, Lord. Amen.

Genesis 19:4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. 

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 18:26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Commentary says this section of scripture is about asking specifically in prayer, and while I get that, I think there should also be a caution. Yes, it’s good to pray specifically, but God isn’t cruel. I just do not believe that He would not come through with miracles because of the lack of numbers or specificity.

Genesis 18:27 Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 

“If only I had had more people praying, God would have saved my loved one.” “If only I had been more specific in my request, God would have granted that request.” Again I say, God is not cruel. He doesn’t sit in heaven with a magic prayer meter. “Oh, so sorry, you were two praying people shy of the number needed to grant your request. Too bad.” That’s not who He is.

Genesis 18:28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?” “If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

Precious Savior, Thank You for the understanding that we do need to be specific in prayer, and we do need to ask others to join us in prayer as we lift our hearts up to You. Thank You also for the knowledge that You aren’t sitting in Heaven only looking at numbers and specificity. You know our hearts. You love us fiercely. You hear our prayers. Thank You. Amen.

Genesis 18:29 Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 18:20-21Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”

I find Abraham’s audacity pretty interesting in today’s scripture. Here we have the man who can’t quite wrap his head around God’s promise to make him the father of nations, yet he is standing up to God and asking Him to question His course of action. Commentary talks about what God wants to accomplish through Abraham, the fact that He needs to help grow Abraham’s character so that he is prepared for his future role. I find that interesting, too.

Genesis 18:22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. 

I do not think God intentionally brings bad things, losses, into our lives. I do not believe in a cruel God. Mine is a God of fierce love and abundant compassion. But I do think that He knows our hearts, knows our faults, knows how we need to grow in our faith journey. I think He uses “all things for the good of those who love Him.” He uses all things to allow us to strengthen our relationship with Him, so that He becomes our home, our shelter, our safety.

Genesis 18:23-24 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your overwhelming love and compassion for Your people. Thank You that You know our hearts and You want us to make our home in You. Thank You that You work all things together for our good, allowing us to grow closer to You always. Give us strength and hope as we grow. Amen.

Genesis 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 18:16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 

Commentary says of verse 16 that it was customary at the time for a good host to walk a ways with departing guests. That comment puts me in mind of the Ram Dass quote I talked about earlier: We are all just walking each other home. In this case, the walking is quite literal.

Genesis 18:17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 

We all have our strengths when it comes to walking each other home. My husband does a tremendous job making people feel welcome, cooking for them, supplying any need that he knows of that he can supply. It’s a beautiful gift, but it is absolutely not my gift. I think I am much better at encouraging folks along the way, though it is easy to negate my gift because it doesn’t feel as useful, as important as my husband’s in the realm of walking each other home.

Genesis 18:18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 

Precious Savior, You have gifted each of us in different ways, equipping us to support each other as we walk each other home. Thank You for the beautiful variety of Your gifts to us. Help us not to discount our own gifts just because they are different from others. Help us each to use the gifts You’ve given us to help each other and shine Your light. Amen.

Genesis 18:19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 18:13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 

It is easy to think that those in the Bible like Abraham and Sarah are perfect and beyond reproach. But we have seen the reality time and again that both Abraham and Sarah struggled with God’s promises, particularly God’s timeline. They doubted. (How could they not?) They laughed. (Honestly, I’d probably be crying or screaming.) And yet, they remained faithful, even as they stumbled along.

Genesis 18:14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

There’s a lesson there. I am full of doubts. I plan my way and get all bent out of shape when it doesn’t come to pass. I pray (and pray and pray and pray) and wait and hope and fear and rail, but God keeps working on my heart. He doesn’t want perfection. He doesn’t want blind obedience. He wants me to trust Him, to draw closer to Him, to put Him first, to root myself in Him. What happens and doesn’t happen are not forms of punishment, they are His attempt to continually draw me closer because He knows that only when He is my absolute center and safety can I thrive in this world.

Genesis 18:15a Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”

Precious Savior, Forgive me when I doubt and rail. Thank You for loving me fiercely, for wanting nothing but my heart. Thank You that I can count on You, can trust You. Always. Help me to root myself deeply in You. Only then can I thrive. Amen.

Genesis 18:15b But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 18:9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him. “There, in the tent,” he said.

I do not believe that God is cruel. So when life is ridiculous and I cannot catch a break, I try to hold tight to what I know to be true. God is love. There is no room in His being for hatred or bitterness or corruption. He loves–me and all His creation–deeply and fiercely. He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us, so when it feels like He is nowhere to be found, I know with certainty that it is only my feelings and not His truth.

Genesis 18:10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 

He’s there, even if I cannot feel His presence, I *know* He is with me because He promised. He is working all things for our good and His glory, so if the current situation stinks, you can bet He’s not done. He’s still working. The worst thing is NEVER the last thing. NEVER. I know with certainty that He is making a way in my life, in my situations, even if I cannot yet perceive it. These are the truths I hold on to.

Genesis 18:11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 

Precious Savior, Thank You that I know You and can trust Your goodness. Thank You for being big enough to hold my hopes and dreams and disappointments. Thank You for collecting all my tears in a bottle because I mean that much to You. Help me to know Your true nature and to cling to You always, even when life feels like it’s falling apart. Especially then. Amen.

Genesis 18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 

What strikes me in today’s verses is Abraham’s attitude. He hurries out to the visitors, bows as a sign of respect, expresses his desire to give them refreshment. It brings to mind a Ram Dass quote I like: “We are all just walking each other home.” Abraham seeks to be helpful and positive as they journey on.

Genesis 18:2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

Seems like these days a lot of people’s response would be, “What do you want? Why are you here? Get off my property!” The rationale behind the words could range from, “I don’t want you to take what I have” to “I don’t trust you not to hurt me” to “I don’t have enough for me and mine. I can’t share.”

Genesis 18:3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. 

Precious Savior, Hospitality, helping each other along as we walk each other home, is such a beautiful gift. My default is distrust that others intend me harm and fear that I will not have enough. Help me be more like Abraham, offering whatever I have to assist others along the way. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 18:4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 

Have a blessed day.