Jan. 11, 2021
When Sarah dies, Abraham asks the Hittites to sell him land so he could bury her. Because the Hittites respected Abraham, they were willing to let him use any of their tombs. But it was important to Abraham that he buy the burial plot so the land would belong to his family forever.
Abraham hadn’t given up on God’s promise that one day his descendants would own all of Canaan (Genesis 17:8-9).
In Genesis 24, Abraham is aging and needs to find a wife for his son, Isaac. So Abraham sends his servant on what seems like an impossible mission: Find a woman from Abraham’s homeland who would move to a foreign country to marry a man she had never met.
Going against God’s law and marrying a local would have been easier, but Abraham believed God would provide. Likewise, Abraham’s servant could have spent those last moments as the women approached to rehearse what he would say and how he would say it. But instead, he prayed, asking God to give him success in his mission.
Abraham’s faithfulness and his servant’s prayers were answered in Rebekah — the first woman he met.
Wherever Jesus went, his reputation preceded him. He had healed sickness, rid people of demons, and calmed storms. So when the friends of a paralyzed man hear Jesus is in town, they carry him to a rooftop, remove the roof, and lower him into Jesus’ presence.
Seeing their faith, Jesus proclaimed that the man’s sins were forgiven. Experts in religious law criticized Jesus in hushed tones, “Only God can forgive sin.” Knowing their thoughts, Jesus calls them out and tells the man to get up and walk.
At that moment, everyone knew. This was no ordinary rabbi. Jesus had the authority of God because He was God.
Make It Personal
- Both Abraham and the paralytic saw God provide in practical and miraculous ways (a burial plot, a wife, the ability to walk). What do you need today? Talk to God about the big and ordinary ways you need His help.
- The paralytic had friends who could put him in front of Jesus. Who are the faithful friends who bring you closer to Jesus?
- Is there someone who can pray with you and encourage you as you read the Bible in a year?