Tuesday, March 12, 2019              

Today’s Scripture Reading  |  Genesis 12:4–7
So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. (NRSV)

Reflection
Moving is one of the most miserable things to experience. When our daughter was about two months old, my husband accepted a job that took us from Columbia, Missouri, to New Orleans, Louisiana. Talk about experiencing some major life changes all at once! I felt so many emotions during that time: I was nervous, terrified, exhausted, and very angry. I felt like I was being torn away from my good friends, a great job, and music ensembles that had grown to be a huge part of my life. I never had any intentions of leaving any of those things, and suddenly I was losing my place of stability and security. I remember arriving in New Orleans, getting out of the car, and just crying my eyes out.

I can imagine how Abram and his family felt when they moved their entire family, all of their livestock, and all of their possessions to a new land. At age seventy-five, Abram was pretty set in his ways, I’m sure, and a major move to an unknown land could not have been easy. God, however, had made a promise to Abram that this land would be for his descendants. Abram had a strong faith and trust in God and knew that God would keep that promise.

It can be tricky for us to recognize and remember the promises that God makes to us. After a few days of being a New Orleanian, I felt a great sense of comfort and peace. In hindsight, I think that sense of peace was God making a promise to me that everything would be OK—and it was! We had so many wonderful opportunities while living in Nola and are so grateful to have had that experience.

What are some promises that God has made to you? How do you remember them?

Prayer
Loving God, thank you for the promises that you make to me. Help me to trust in you during tough times and help me to keep those promises close to my heart. Amen.

Written by Briana Belding-Peck, Family Ministry Coordinator

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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