With all the noise in the world, do you hear the voice of God? Your calendar tells you what to do, but do you remember who you are? Being comes before doing. This is a call to put first things first. Return to the Lord with this daily pattern of prayer and devotion. Set aside this time as a sanctuary. Find a space free of distraction and follow this pattern.
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation
Lord Jesus, you once came to humanity in a rustic barn and a messy manger. Do not be distant from the rough places of our lives. We often find ourselves far from you. In mercy, come near to us, our Lord, Emmanuel; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Confession
Forgive my sins, O Lord – forgive me the sins of my present and the sins of my past, the sins of my soul and the sins of my body; the sins which I have done to please myself, and the sins which I have done to please others. Forgive me my wasted and idle sins, forgive me my serious and deliberate sins, forgive me those sins which I know and those sins which I know not, the sins which I have labored so to hide from others that I have hid them from my own memory. Forgive them, O Lord, forgive them all.
Word: Genesis 12
“‘“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you’ (Gen 12:1. )…The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring will give this land’ (Gen 12:7). …Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.” (Gen 12:9)
Meditation: Unbroken Promises
Today’s meditation is written by Susan Senechal.
Three verses stand out in Genesis 12, because I can so relate. In verse 1 God calls Abram to leave his past behind for a better promise—“go to the land I will show you.” I don’t know how long it took Abram to respond, but I imagine his internal voice to say something like this: “Really God? You want me to leave all this behind? My home, my family, my stuff?” It’s not an easy decision for him, I’m sure. But we are told that Abram left as the Lord had told him, and went with him, and arrived at Canaan.
And God said to him, “Okay, here’s the land I’m giving to you.” Abram builds an altar, acknowledging God’s promise, but then does something I don’t really understand but all too often repeat: He turns from God’s promised land and heads straight into the desert. He looks at the promise, acknowledges the memorable spiritual experience by building an altar, and then moves on.
How often I have followed God, acknowledged his goodness and provision, and then continued on my merry way…right into a dry wasteland. God grants me forgiveness, but then I fail to forgive others or even myself. God promises hope, and yet I turn and let myself get weighed down in despair. God promises life that is life, while I pick up a schedule of meaningless calendar-filling activities.
God promises to Abraham an everlasting covenant, an everlasting bond of relationship not just with Abraham, but with his descendants for the generations to come: “I will be your God, and you will be my people.” Fortunately for Abraham, and for me, the God who made the promise is faithful even when I am not. God’s covenant of love for me is secure, unconditional, even when I have times of doubt and failure. I want to respond to God’s love with love, with obedience, by following him closely day by day. But when I do not, God still keeps covenant with me, offering more grace, mercy, and love. He doesn’t let me go even when I wander away. Thank God for that!
O God, thank you for choosing me and loving me unconditionally, for keeping covenant with me even when I wander away from your love. Help me to live in your love and to follow you. Amen
Benediction
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:7)