Speechless Sundays

I'm doubling down today and linking up with two great women!

Morgan @ Quite the Blog for Saturday Morning Blog Hop (yes, I know it's Sunday, but it's still open so I thought, why not?)



AND I'm also linking up with my BFF, Jenn @ Jenn's Advetures, for Speechless Sundays.

Obviously this post isn't exactly speechless, but that's OK.

Speechless Sundays are for those things that leave us inspired and encouraged- and sometimes speechless.

And this week I'm sharing my take on it.

As part of our 2013 goals, the husband and I are going to complete are devotions more often and consistently.

A personal goal of mine is to complete my devotions 3 times a week, and share with my husband at least weekly.

What are devotions, you might ask?

Well, devotions are readings from Scripture on which we take time to reflect.  This can include conversation with one another or journaling.  Our pastor encourages journaling first, and then sharing thoughts with the family, if you chose to do so.

However since the husband and I are only recently starting to be more consistent with our devotions, we read the scripture together and discuss afterwards (we're working on getting the journal routine down).

One of our discussions this week centered around the story of Abram and his wife, Sarai.

Abram was promised by God a huge amount of blessings.  

“I will make you into a great nation,

    and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

    and you will be a blessing.^[a]

³ 

I will bless those who bless you,

    and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

    will be blessed through you.”

Gen 12: 2-3

Abram traveled to Canaan and set up his tent there, but because of famine, moved south towards Egypt.

Before entering Egypt, he told his wife to lie and say she was his sister.

Now why would Abram, future father of Israel, soon to be named Abraham, promised ginormous blessings from God, LIE????

He led Pharaoh to believe that Sarai was indeed his sister because he was afraid that if the Egyptians found out that she was his wife, they would kill him and take her for their own.

Seems like a pretty reasonable fear, right?  I mean, it happens.  People get jealous because others have beautiful spouses all the time.

But let's back it up here.  

Abram and God had a good thing here.  God was going to bless Abram abundantly.  Wouldn't Abram think that God would keep him safe and sound?  Wouldn't he think that God would protect him?  

Why LIE?

I'll tell you why.

Because Abram is human.  

And that's what we humans do. 

We lie.  

We get scared.  We freak out.  We doubt ourselves.  

We doubt God.

Even though He has promised to never forsake us, we don't believe Him.

Even though we are His children, whom He loves dearly, we don't put our trust in Him.

I've doubted God many many times in my life.  And not just doubt, but completely decided to handle my mess on my own and fix it myself because there was no way that if I did it God's way that I'd come out safe and unscathed.

Boy was I wrong.  

Despite the many blessings God has given me and the promises He's made, I still doubt Him and His love for me. But just because I make some of the biggest mistakes in life, God doesn't abandon me.  Like Abram, I freak out and try to control the situation on my own and end up with an even bigger mess.  But if out of a lie, God can make Abram the father of Israel and countless descendants and also a great nation, I know that He can still do great things through me.  

(The complete Devotion for this day included Genesis 12-14 and Luke 5)