Memory vs. Fear

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Sunday - 9:15 AM Sunday School, 10:30 AM Worship Service

by: Denise Robinson

03/19/2021

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Our devotional series based on the book Climbing with Abraham by David Ramos continues. Last week, we looked at Abraham's prayer life and how it impacted not only him, but others around him (even people he didn't know). God, we learned, is waiting for us to pray, to show compassion for others. Why? Because prayer changes things - even if not in the way we expect.  
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Week 18: Read Genesis 20:1-8 (Memory vs. Fear)


"This story strikes a curious deja vu for anyone familiar with the Abraham saga. Back in chapter 12, a similar situation takes place. Here, Abraham finds himself in a new land once again. Yet, despite all the triumphs he has been a part of because of God's help, he still fears the king: Abimelech. To protect himself and his loved ones, Abraham repeats the lie from Genesis 12, that Sarah and he are siblings and nothing more. 

The king takes Sarah to be with him in his household, and a sickness falls upon everyone there. The disease is bad enough that it makes all the women in the household barren and brings Abimelech to the brink of death. It is here that God intervenes in a dream. He puts the king on trial and shows that it was God's own omnipotence that kept Abimelech from stumbling into greater sin. The king then calls Abraham to come answer for his lie.

The Abraham we see here is very different from the conquering patriarch of recent chapters. He's fearful and even timid in his responses. He let fear guide him. Abimelech answers by sending him away with a hefty amount of apologetic gifts. The chapter concludes with the Lord healing all the barren women, foreshadowing what is to come. 

Have you ever had to take a test over? A redo? Maybe you failed the first time and were given a second chance to pass. Usually, when we are given an opportunity like this, we do much better the second time around. We remember what we got right the first time, and work to improve the items we got wrong. Soo why isn't it this easy in real life? Have you ever found yourself in the same bind again (and again), fighting the same bad habits, and making the choices you swore to yourself you'd never make again? (I know I have!). Abraham's been there. By this point in his life he has seen God over and over again accomplish extraordinary feats: divine protection, destroying cities, and supernatural appearances. But none of this is enough to overrule the very real fear Abraham feels in that moment when he enters the new city.

We make this same mistake, don't we? We fail to learn from the lessons of the past because we let fear rule our thinking. Memory is the best antidote with which to fight fear. If Abraham would've remembered how God handled the situation in Egypt and how he was protected, he would have made better choices. The same is true for us. The next time you find yourself in situation where fear is guiding your choices, pause. Take a minute to remember a time when God intervened in a big way and use that memory to fuel your faith in this moment."
___________________________
Takeaway from today's lesson:  Remembering God's actions in our past will help us fight today's fear.

Prayer: God, thank you for being so patient with me. Grow my faith by helping me to remember everything you have already done for me. Amen.
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Our devotional series based on the book Climbing with Abraham by David Ramos continues. Last week, we looked at Abraham's prayer life and how it impacted not only him, but others around him (even people he didn't know). God, we learned, is waiting for us to pray, to show compassion for others. Why? Because prayer changes things - even if not in the way we expect.  
__________________________
Week 18: Read Genesis 20:1-8 (Memory vs. Fear)


"This story strikes a curious deja vu for anyone familiar with the Abraham saga. Back in chapter 12, a similar situation takes place. Here, Abraham finds himself in a new land once again. Yet, despite all the triumphs he has been a part of because of God's help, he still fears the king: Abimelech. To protect himself and his loved ones, Abraham repeats the lie from Genesis 12, that Sarah and he are siblings and nothing more. 

The king takes Sarah to be with him in his household, and a sickness falls upon everyone there. The disease is bad enough that it makes all the women in the household barren and brings Abimelech to the brink of death. It is here that God intervenes in a dream. He puts the king on trial and shows that it was God's own omnipotence that kept Abimelech from stumbling into greater sin. The king then calls Abraham to come answer for his lie.

The Abraham we see here is very different from the conquering patriarch of recent chapters. He's fearful and even timid in his responses. He let fear guide him. Abimelech answers by sending him away with a hefty amount of apologetic gifts. The chapter concludes with the Lord healing all the barren women, foreshadowing what is to come. 

Have you ever had to take a test over? A redo? Maybe you failed the first time and were given a second chance to pass. Usually, when we are given an opportunity like this, we do much better the second time around. We remember what we got right the first time, and work to improve the items we got wrong. Soo why isn't it this easy in real life? Have you ever found yourself in the same bind again (and again), fighting the same bad habits, and making the choices you swore to yourself you'd never make again? (I know I have!). Abraham's been there. By this point in his life he has seen God over and over again accomplish extraordinary feats: divine protection, destroying cities, and supernatural appearances. But none of this is enough to overrule the very real fear Abraham feels in that moment when he enters the new city.

We make this same mistake, don't we? We fail to learn from the lessons of the past because we let fear rule our thinking. Memory is the best antidote with which to fight fear. If Abraham would've remembered how God handled the situation in Egypt and how he was protected, he would have made better choices. The same is true for us. The next time you find yourself in situation where fear is guiding your choices, pause. Take a minute to remember a time when God intervened in a big way and use that memory to fuel your faith in this moment."
___________________________
Takeaway from today's lesson:  Remembering God's actions in our past will help us fight today's fear.

Prayer: God, thank you for being so patient with me. Grow my faith by helping me to remember everything you have already done for me. Amen.
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