“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
Genesis 12:1-3, 21:1-3
God told Abram to leave his home and relatives and go to a place that He would show him. Abram trusted God and obeyed Him.
God promised Abram that he would have a big family, that He would bless Abram, and provide for and protect him. God had a plan to use Abram to bless all the families of the earth.
God is the Creator of all things. We were once able to have a relationship with God, but then sin came into the world and separated us from Him. Sin is disobeying God. But because God loves us so much, He had a plan for us to be with Him again, to give us His Son, Jesus.
God used Abram’s big family to bring Jesus into the world many years later. Because Jesus came, died on the cross, and rose again, anyone on earth now has the chance to be saved from their sin. This is the blessing that God was talking about.
We can trust God by telling Him we believe in Jesus and asking Him to forgive us for our sins so we can have a relationship with God. We can trust that God will provide for us and protect us because He has a plan for us!
Abram obeyed God, even though he didn’t know where He was going to lead him. What are some ways you can obey God, even when you don’t know what the outcome will be?
God promised Abram and Sarai that they would have a big family. Abram and Sarai had to wait a long time for their son. What does this teach us about trusting God and His plan for our lives?
Thank You, God, for Your many promises and blessings. We know that You have a perfect plan for our lives. Help us to trust You and obey You, even when we do not understand or know what the outcome will be. We love You and want to trust You more each day. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
Genesis 14
There was a war happening. In the middle of the fighting, Abram’s nephew Lot was captured along with many other people and their possessions. Abram gathered an army of men to go rescue everyone. The army headed out to find their enemies. Finally, they caught up to them, chased their enemies away, and rescued Lot and the other people.
Abram brought them and their possessions back to Melchizedek, the king of Salem. Melchizedek said that God Most High was the one who defeated their enemies. It was God who provided Abram with his army and gave them success in rescuing the people.
It was part of God’s plan to give Abram what he needed and to defeat his enemies. We must rely on God to provide for us and trust that He has a plan for us.
God promised Abram that He would protect him and give him what he needed. Abram trusted God’s promise, and God’s plan eventually brought us Jesus. Jesus was the only one who could rescue us from our sin and bring us back to God. We can trust God’s promise by believing in Jesus and asking Him to forgive us, and He will. We need to trust that God will give us what we need, and we can do this because God has a plan for us.
Abram trusted God to provide for him. What are some areas of your life where you need to trust that God will provide for you?
Abram had faith in God’s plan for his life. How does believing that God has a plan for your life help you during times of uncertainty?
Thank You, God, for the perfect plan You have for our lives. We know that You provide everything we need. Help us follow Your guidance and put our trust fully in You.We love You and want to serve You in the plan You have for our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
Genesis 18:16-33
God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, which means “father of many nations.” He did this as a reminder of His promise and of all the people He would use to bring us Jesus. God also said that He would fulfill His plan by helping Abraham be obedient and be a fatherly example to the people. Abraham was going to live out the meaning of his new name as the father of many nations.
There were some very bad things happening in Sodom and Gomorrah. The people’s sin had become so bad that God was hearing cries against them. Because God is perfect, He must punish sin. He planned to see what was happening and wipe out the cities.
Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family lived in Sodom, and Abraham didn’t want them to be wiped out because Lot loved and obeyed God. Abraham asked God if He would still destroy the city if there were 50 righteous people in it. God told him that He wouldn’t. Abraham kept asking, what if God found only 45, 30, 20, or 10? Still, God said He wouldn’t destroy the city if there were that many righteous people in it. Abraham knew that God loves His people and that He is a good and perfect Judge. So, he wasn’t afraid to ask God to spare the city for those few people.
Just like God had a plan for Abraham, He also has a plan for us. We should go to Him with our needs, trusting that He will always do what is right and best for us. There are times when we sin and need forgiveness. That’s why God sent us Jesus, so that we don’t have to face punishment for our sin and can instead be forgiven. When we disobey God’s Word, we can go to God and ask for forgiveness. God loves us, and He wants us to love and obey Him.
Abraham trusted God’s plan for his life and kept praying. How do you put your trust in God each day?
God gave Abraham a new name to remind him of His promise. What are some things that help you remember His promises?
Thank You, God, for Your many promises and blessings. We know that You have a perfect plan for our lives. Help us to trust You and obey You, even when we do not understand or know what the outcome will be. We love You and want to trust You more each day. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
Genesis 25:21-34, 27,28:10-20
Abraham’s son Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. These brothers didn’t get along. One day, Esau came home from a trip, and he was very hungry, so he begged Jacob for some soup. Jacob told Esau that he would only feed him if he traded his birthright—the role of being an important leader and receiving valuable possessions.
Esau did it because he didn’t trust God’s plan to provide for him. Jacob also wasn’t trusting God because he tricked Esau into doing it.
Later, while traveling, Jacob stopped for the night and had a dream. In this dream, God told Jacob that He is the God of his grandfather Abraham, that the ground he was on belonged to him, his family would keep having families of their own, and that He would protect him and keep all His promises. Jacob responded by telling God that if He did all those things, then he would trust and obey Him.
God told Jacob that He has a big, amazing plan for him, yet Jacob still didn’t trust Him. Jacob’s response showed that he didn’t trust God’s plan. Sometimes, we think we know what’s best and that our plan is better than God’s. That is why we need Jesus to forgive our sins and save us. We can trust that God has a plan for us too and choose to obey Him!
Jacob and Esau didn’t trust God’s plan. They took matters into their own hands. How do we sometimes try to take control instead of trusting God?
In what ways can we show we believe that God knows what is best for us and His plan is perfect for our life?
Thank You, God, for Your many promises and blessings. We know that You have a perfect plan for our lives. Help us to trust You and obey You, even when we do not understand or know what the outcome will be. We love You and want to trust You more each day. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.