Still on the Chase

When Abraham was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said: “This is my covenant with you; you will be the father of many nations. As for Sarai your wife, I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations.” – Genesis 17:1, 4, 16

A few years ago my church sponsored a bus trip to Washington, D. C. to view the national monuments and museums. On the morning of our return to Atlanta, I extended greetings to a spry couple who boarded the bus wearing big smiles. “Hope you had a good, restful night,” I said.

“It was good, but not too restful,” the woman responded. Then with a sly grin and a lowered voice, she confessed, “He still chases me around the room.” At the time, the pair had been married for forty-seven years, and they were both into their late seventies.

Abraham was seventy-five when he first received the invitation from God to be in covenantal relationship and to become the progenitor of great nations. His wife Sarah was sixty-five, and barren. But despite their understandable doubts, Abraham and Sarah followed God’s promise to the Promised Land.

After more than two decades of delay and disappointment, the covenant had still not been manifested. Abraham and Sarah might have grown weary of waiting, but the passion of God’s pursuit was unrelenting. At ninety-nine and eighty-nine, Abraham and Sarah were still being pursued and persuaded to taste the depths of God’s goodness.

God is the love that never leaves us alone. Even when we would be content to settle for that which is more reasonable. God is the love that wakes us from our slumbers of disillusionment, and lets us know that we are still wanted.

Prayer

Lord, You are the Lover of my soul.

About the Author
Kenneth L. Samuel is Pastor of Victory for the World Church, Stone Mountain, Georgia.