February 5 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Abram was rebuked by Pharaoh. Maybe the Pharaoh was not as noble as he sounded. But he was right. It is always hard for us to be rebuked by those who do not know the Lord. It makes us blush.

Notice that Abram did not say anything. He was ashamed.

God did not say anything either. At least the Bible does not record anything he said. God did something. God disentangled Abram from the predicament he had made for himself. The Lord remained faithful to his partner. Even the Pharaoh discovered how God was on the side of his undeserving friend Abram.

The caravan wound its way from Egypt to the desert of Judea. Abram's company was silent and ashamed. But there is grace in such a mood. When we are ashamed of ourselves, we can at least find God again, even if we hardly dare lift our eyes to heaven. When we are proud of ourselves, we do not need God and he hides his face.

Abram is learning that God does not give a promise and then leave us to find our own way. That is unthinkable. God never leaves us, day or night. When we are foolish enough to go our self-willed ways, God still haunts us and even disentangles us from the results of our own folly.

And now notice where the journey ends. If you or I were writing the story, we would close it with a tearful reunion of Abram and Sarai. Maybe they had such a reunion. But such a climax only fits novels; it cannot be the point of the Bible. At Bethel is a kneeling figure before an altar. A man has found his God again. Abram kneels at the altar.

Abram has returned to God. Now he lives again. It's like a New Testament Christian finding the cross, where God and people were reconciled. There we find life because there we know God.

REFLECTIONS

What kinds of experiences in your life drive you to God?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.