Pursuit
The look on his pale, sweaty face was one of fear and deathly exhaustion. Unprepared, and without provocation, he and his kinsmen had been attacked and herded like cattle into foreign and dangerous regions! His only recourse of escape, was to run, and with each bounding stride he prayed that his swiftness would spare his life and that of his people!
This man, whose name is not mentioned in scripture reached his destination by way of a miracle and stood before Abram bent at the waist and speaking between gasps for air...
"Sir, in the attack, they carried off your nephew and all of his possessions!"
Abram, the man of God and respected patriarch stared at the messenger, no doubt recounting his tale and tallying the cost of his own reaction. He chose to be receptive to the messengers news as he patted him on the shoulder as a sign of comfort and spoke words of appreciation. Then, fearlessly, he began to execute a faith-filled plan with only 318 men to his charge whose purpose would be to defeat an undetermined number of opponents. However, these men in his charge had been trained under the same household (rules and beliefs) as himself. Because of this connection, there was an ingrained spiritual structure that allowed him to strategize a plan with a certain sense of ease. This plan would take them far away from their comfort zones, in order to recover that which was lost.
With his loyal household beside him, Abram rode out to the area of confrontation, divided his men in the middle of the night and positioned them to attack in several of the enemies vulnerable places all at once. His strategy was so powerfully executed that he defeated all of his enemies and recovered those who were lost and all of their possessions.
This is love - This is leadership - This is faith. It is also an invitation to take stock of the people within our household (homes, jobs, associations, etc...) and reflect on our ability to work together in times of joy and in times of crisis. It is a time to contemplate our similarities and how strong we are because of them. It is a time to come against the opposition and take back what is rightfully ours, in and through Christ.
Reference: Genesis 14:14
M. Handy/The Promise
