God Speaks
God Interacts with People Who Will Listen and Obey
Verse of the Day: “. . . the LORD appeared to him [Abram] and said, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.'” (Genesis 17: 1-2 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Genesis 16-18
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Genesis 16
1. In His mercy and grace, God takes into account our sinful attempts to “help Him out.” He deals with them, corrects them and helps us to get back in line with His plans.
2. People either ignore God, think they know a “better” way or outright rebel against God and His ways. When they do this, they cause themselves all kinds of problems.
Genesis 17
1. God gets people’s attention and then corrects and/or instructs them.
2. People should trust, listen to and obey God as Abraham did.
Genesis 18
1. God interacts with His obedient people, accepts their respectful questions and may in response modify His proposed actions.
2. People should not be afraid or neglect respectful interaction with God Almighty.
Prayer
3. How might I pray regarding Genesis 16-18?
Dear LORD God who knows and prophesies the future, thank You for choosing to bless people like Hagar, Ishmael, Abram, Sarai, Isaac, and me. I need Your help to respectfully submit to those in authority with whom I strongly disagree. Please help me to hear You speaking to me through the Bible and to see You at work in the world today. Draw me close to You, O Living One who sees me. I declare, “You truly are El-Shaddai God Almighty.” I really desire to serve You faithfully and live a blameless life. I look forward to the new name You will give me in Heaven (Revelation 2:17). Whether I have physical descendants or not, please grant me the privilege of having many spiritual descendants–those I have led to faith or helped to grow. Please continue to fulfill Your covenant with Abraham regarding Your chosen people and their land. LORD God, You visit and pay attention to Your people. Please give me a heart that responds to the needs of strangers. I may be entertaining angels and/or You, Lord Jesus, without realizing it. Holy Spirit, You know my inner thoughts and impulses. Please help me to be honest with You, other people, and myself even when what You are saying seems impossible to me. LORD, You knew Abraham so well that You knew in advance how he would react to the news that You intended to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Thank you for giving him the chance to negotiate with You on their behalf. Please give Your faithful servants (myself included) the same privilege in this day and age. Please allow Your people the honor of cooperating with You in rescuing as many people as possible from the world, the flesh, and the devil (and from eternity in Hell). For Your great glory, Almighty God. AMEN
Action (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Genesis 16-18?
With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will ask God to show me how to bless someone of a different background than me. Then I will do what He says.
- I will make a point to respectfully submit to the authority of someone with whom I disagree.
- I will extend hospitality to strangers in some specific way today.
- I will spend time reading the Bible and praying so that I can know God well enough to negotiate with Him.
Share
I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.