Worship in the Midst of Hard Places

January 4 – Tasting of Genesis 11-14: Abram, descendant of Terah, headed for Canaan, but stopped in Haran (hard place.)

1. Abram built an altar there and worshiped
2. Abram traveled south to Bethel and built another altar and worshiped the Lord
3. Then he traveled south by stages toward the Negev. They pitched their tent between Bethel and Ai. This place marks the place where they had camped previously. In             the same place
4. Abram built an altar and worshiped the Lord again. Lot moved his tent near Sodom and settled among the cities.
5. Abram moved his tent and settled near the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron.
6. He built another altar to the Lord.
7. Abram rescues Lot: as the armies of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into clay pits, while the rest escaped to the hills. When Abram returned from his victory, the king of Shalem, Mechizedek, a priest of God Most High, brought bread and wine and blessed him – a form of worship
8. Abram gave him a tenth of everything, tithing – a type of worship

Today’s Nourishment: Will your worship exist only during good times or will you choose to worship, even in the hard times and hard places. Abram lived in Haran (hard place) yet, notice the times he worshiped, whether building an altar, pitching his tent, receiving the bread and wine from Melchizedek (a type of Christ) or tithing.

I choose to worship in the midst of those hard places. I choose to worship now, today in the midst of the hard place, which we face with Kent’s recent diagnosis and now with his two surgeries ahead of us, unless you heal him. We certainly pray that you dissolve the large kidney stone and heal Kent of cancer with no need for surgery. We expect the arrival of our little Emily Kate (granddaughter) in the mix of both procedures.

I noticed that Abraham reached his destination in stages. Lord, you may heal Kent in stages, but, once again, as Abraham did, we pitch our tent toward you. We worship you. Cause the kings of kidney stone and cancer to fall into clay pits and dissolve. Bring your bread and wine to offer healing. We give you our lives and everything concerning our lives. 

What is your worship in the midst of your Hebron, “hard place?”