Genesis 20
V. 3 God came to Abimelech in a dream...
V. 11 Abraham said, "I thought surely there is no fear of God in this place...
Abraham and Sarah had moved to Gerar, and Abraham had told King Abimelech of Gerar that Sarah was his sister, rather than his wife, because he was afraid that they would kill him to have Sarah, because she was a very beautiful woman. And Abimelech had taken her into his harem, but hadn't come near her yet.
This is the second time Abraham did this. Right after God promised Abraham that He would make him into a great nation, and he had begun to travel around the land of Canaan, there came a famine, so they went to Egypt. And Abraham told Sarah to tell them that she was his sister, so they took her into Pharaoh's harem. She must've really been beautiful, at age 65! (see Genesis 12.)
These two times we see that Abraham depended on his own reasoning concerning these pagan kings, thinking that they would take his life to get him out of the way to procure his wife for their own harems; but they took her, anyway, considering her his sister.
I wonder why it didn't occur to him that God couldn't make him into a great nation if he was dead!
How many times have I depended on my own powers of reasoning and logic to make pivotal decisions? Instead of relying on God and His Word? How often have I not even thought to consult my Father in Heaven? Do I think He wouldn't be interested? That's not just silly, it's foolish! Of course He's concerned for every detail of my life. If He counts how many hairs that are on my head, how much more is he watching what I do!
Well, God protected Sarah from having to sleep with either of these kings, and they even paid Abraham to take her and leave.
Would that my foolish choices could turn out so well. I have found that my consequences haven't been that rosy. So I want to remember to pray about every decision before I come to act on it. I want to consider Him and His ways in everything I do, all the time.
This takes practice, to remind myself to pray. So I've been working on "practicing the presence of the Lord" for quite some time now, and I hope that my thinking processes are beginning to proceed along my Lord's lines, instead of my flesh.
O my Father, please help me keep my focus on what You would have me think about, to see with Your eyes and discern with Your understanding. Thank You for Your promise to never leave me, so I know that You are with me every moment of every day. Help me to continually be aware of Your constant closeness, and rest in Your arms.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
