It’s safe to say that I am not an avid outdoorsman.
Do I like being outside? Yeah. Do I like seeing the beauty of nature? Yeah.
But am I the kind of guy who’s going to hike the Appalachian trail anytime soon? Not unless it comes with a movable tiny home that I can sleep in every night. I like my bed too much for that.
Even I can appreciate the awe-inspiring scene that unfolded the day that Lot left and God told Abraham to inspect his land. “Look north and south, east and west,” God said. “For I will give you and your offspring forever all the land that you see.” (Genesis 13:14-15).
What a moment.
Envision the Promise
To my core, I believe that God wanted Abraham to really take it in. Look at the land. Comprehend it’s breadth. Only then, I think, can you really start to appreciate the gift that God has given you.
Yes, Lot took the well-watered plains of the Jordan. Yes, he left you with what human eyes viewed as the “inferior” area.
But take a deep breath and look around, Abraham. This land that you see will be your ancestor’s inheritance. You won’t have to worry about your legacy; your ancestors will know who you are.
Envision Your Promise
You can do the same thing with your own life. Take a piece of paper and write down all the things you have been blessed with. Things that you prayed about last year or twenty years ago that you now have.
….
Still writing? That’s fine.
….
Got it? Good.
Now recognize the fact that God gave you all those things. He didn’t have to — He wanted to.
Only by continually recognizing our dependance on God can we hope to have a consistent understanding of His grace.
Envision Our Promise
The language in Genesis 13 is eerily reminiscent of what Paul tells the church in Ephesians 3:14-19. There, Paul prays that the church would try to comprehend the “breadth and length and height and depth” of God’s love.
I would challenge you to take some time and really meditate on that. Instead of just paying lip service to the idea, take a few moments to actually think about the fact that Jesus didn’t have to come to earth and die for us — He did it because He wanted to (Romans 5:6-8).
Just like Abraham’s promise, the gift of God is far greater than any of us recognize, and probably will ever know.
That shouldn’t stop us from trying to comprehend it though, if for no other reason than it deepens our appreciation for Him every day.