Genesis 15:2 (NRSV)
Read Genesis 15:2 on biblegateway.com
Verse 2But Abram said, "O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"
Devotion
In the Bible, quotation marks signal something important is happening. Direct speech grabs the reader’s attention. Probably the three most important words in the Hebrew Bible are, “But God said ...” Then something unexpected and mysterious transpires. Abram adopts God’s style of speaking. He’s been promised progeny, yet he still has no children. Now he wants proof; he demands clarification. In short, Abram gets in God’s face. And God responds. Not on Abram’s timetable or according to his direction, perhaps, but God responds. This energetic exchange gives prayer permission to “talk back” to God. God responds.
Prayer
Gracious God, you listened to Abram’s protests, and we know you listen to ours. You absorbed Abram’s anxieties, and we know you’ll manage ours. Thanks for listening. We may not like it, we may not understand it, but we know you will answer. Help us see your response and search for your counsel. Let us find times and spaces for prayer, as Jesus did in the midst of his busy ministry. Amen.