Tarry a Little Longer
by Annalene Holtzhausen
This special encounter with the Lord brought with it a promise for Abraham regarding the prophecy spoken over him by the Lord in Genesis 17:4 – ‘As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations’. The Lord appeared to Abraham in the heat of the day, as he was sitting at the entrance to his tent. He welcomed them into his home, and offered them the opportunity to rest, be refreshed and enjoy a meal, before they left.
Abraham must have been quite anxious to get an opportunity to speak to his wife, Sarah, regarding the Lord’s promise, but as we read in today’s scripture, he first walked along with the men to see them on their way. It was during this time that the Lord decided to reveal to Abraham what He was about to do in Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:20).
If we continue reading up to Genesis 19, we see that the Lord was merciful towards Lot and his family (following Abraham’s plea) before He destroyed those cities and the entire plain (verse 25). It brings me to wonder what would have happened if Abraham hadn’t decided to walk along with the Lord, as He got up to leave. Maybe Lot and his family would have perished along with all the other people.
We often set a time for our Bible study, or quiet time with the Lord, but how often do we just spend extra time with Him? How often do we tarry just a little longer, and stop worrying about everything on our to-do-list? It’s often in those moments when the Lord reveals something special to us; those moments when we just chat to the Lord, and share our thoughts with Him.
It’s the same with the people we see every day. Often we would have liked to say something more to them, or the other way around. I think the Lord often wishes for us to just ‘walk along with Him’ so He can reveal more to us about His wondrous plans, and His love for us.
‘Call to Me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvellous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own’ (Jeremiah 33:3 MSG).
Prayer: Dear Lord, please forgive me for the times I rush when I’m speaking to You and don’t give You a chance to speak to me. I long to know You more, and draw nearer to You. Teach me how to experience the amazing privilege of chatting to You and hearing the wondrous things that only You can reveal to me. Amen.
Annalene Holtzhausen is on the Associate Team at Ellel, Africa. She is married to Renier, who introduced her to Ellel Ministries. She is a full-time mother to their two boys. Her passion is for the restoration of women’s hearts and for people to find their worth in the Lord.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
