March 31, 2021 — God’s Eternal Promise

If God counts your hairs and keeps your tears, surely He stands by as “a very present help in time of need.”

Genesis 14 begins with the kind of Bible words we might want to skip. But God doesn’t. Listen: “In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela” (vv 1-2). And these $50 names are repeated three more times in the chapter! What’s all this about? It’s for one simple reason. When these kings came marauding through that region, they dared lay their hands on one fellow with a three-letter name: L-O-T. God takes the protection of His people very seriously. Zechariah 2:8 says, “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘He sent Me…to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.’” In other words, those who attack the Lord’s people are poking God in the eye! Watch out! These kings from Mesopotamia came down into the Levant, the land bridge between Africa and Asia and Europe, and plundered these “cities of the plain,” including Sodom where Lot lived. Everything was taken. Our next study will give the thrilling conclusion. But let me leave you with this. Recently Luke Letlow, a husband and father of two young children and soon-to-be sworn-in congressman from Louisiana, a serious Christian, said this before he died unexpectedly of a Covid-related heart attack at age 41: “God doesn’t promise us tomorrow, but He does promise us forever.” So true! God doesn’t always buffer His people from heartaches and tears down here. But He has guaranteed that these temporary difficulties will be considered worth it when we see how He’s woven them together for our everlasting good.

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