The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Genesis 20:1-7, “Now Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev, and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he sojourned in Gerar.
2 Abraham said of Sarah his wife, ‘She is my sister.’ So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, ‘Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married.’
4 Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, ‘Lord, will You slay a nation, even though blameless?
5 ‘Did he not himself say to me, “She is my sister”? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.”
6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.
7 “Now therefore, restore the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

Do you believe in prayer? I mean really believe! I’m not talking about the kind of prayer we pray when we’re facing something minor. Nor am I thinking of prayer even when a loved one is seriously ill. I’m thinking of the kind of prayer when we’re wanting something, not knowing it to be outside of the absolute will of God.

Abraham faced a similar situation. His was potentially hazardous –life threatening, in fact! Nor was it lessened by the fact that Abimelech faced it, too. It all occurred due to the standards of marriage in Old Testament days. Sarah was Abraham’s wife. She was also his half-sister. They shared the same father, but their mothers were different.

It would not have been out-of-character for Abimelech to have taken Sarah as his wife. Abraham, on the other hand, was more fearful of being killed by Abimelech.

Everything eventually came good, as the LORD revealed to Abimelech in a dream that Sarah was indeed Abraham’s wife. When everything came to light, Abimelech feared the LORD more than Abraham did. Moreover, Abimelech (I’m sure he was sweating!) then gave Abraham 1000 pieces of silver along with the freedom to travel wherever he wished in his kingdom. (Just get out! –and take that beautiful woman with you!)

Serious prayer on our part will ultimately result in our doing the LORD’s will! There are so many things that trouble us –things that must be trivial to Almighty God. So, just
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5-6).

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom