Genesis 13:1-7, 14-18 (NRSV)
Read Genesis 13:1-7, 14-18 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 13So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. Verse 2Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. Verse 3He journeyed on by stages from the Negeb as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, Verse 4to the place where he had made an altar at the first; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
Verse 5Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, Verse 6so that the land could not support both of them living together; for their possessions were so great that they could not live together, Verse 7and there was strife between the herders of Abram's livestock and the herders of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites lived in the land.
Verse 14The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Raise your eyes now, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; Verse 15for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. Verse 16I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth; so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Verse 17Rise up, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you." Verse 18So Abram moved his tent, and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron; and there he built an altar to the Lord.
Devotion
Whistling cheered my sisters and me. Scared of bears one night while camping, we whistled in the dark and eventually fell asleep. The story of Abraham features a lot of whistling in the dark. God has promised to bless all the families of the earth through Abraham, yet God doesn't appear quick to deliver. Here, Abraham's nephew, Lot, clearly gets the better deal, and Abraham settles in the land of Canaan. But God whistles to him, cheering his spirits and renewing his promise. Jesus is the promise of God in our midst. His presence dispels our darkest fears.
Prayer
God, help us to listen for your call, and keep calling us again and again. We stake our lives on the life, death and resurrection of your Son, the sign and seal of your good promises for us. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.