Today’s
Scripture Reading (March 7, 2012): Genesis 18
A local radio station likes to occasionally play an online game with its
listeners. The idea is that you have a chance to win some money. Each time you
decide to spin the wheel or roll the dice or take a turn, two situations are
possible. Either you add more money (a random amount) to your pot or you lose
the game and any accrued winnings you have built up in the game. So to win the
game, you want to get as close to that “lose everything” point as you can, but
then quit before you lose. The problem is that you never know where the “lose
point” is going to be.
To increase the drama, after the contestant decides to quit, they run
the game to find out how long the person could have gone before the lose point.
Sometimes they quit at just the right moment, but others could have won a lot
more money than they finally ended up with, if they had only known when to
stop.
Sometimes, as I read this passage, this is what I sense that Abraham is
doing. He is playing the game, and at each step he is asking himself the
question – do I dare speak up one more time or should I quit now? And the
stakes for Abraham were high, higher than they are for any contestant on a
radio station game. This was God, the one that holds all of creation in his
hand. And with each question, Abraham found himself just a little more out on
the limb.
But I have to admit that part of me wonders if God was cheering Abraham
on, and maybe that he wanted Abraham to take his questions just a little
further. Because when it comes to God’s love, we can never out love – or out
forgive – God.
No matter what it is that you have done, God still loves you – still
forgives you – and is just waiting for any excuse to connect with you and your
life. And he is cheering you on, whether you hear those cheers or not.
Tomorrow’s
Scripture Reading: Genesis 19
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