Vayeira/God appeared

Genesis 18:1 – 22:24

II Kings 4:1-37

As usual I want to avoid the ‘obvious’ insights or thoughts on the torah portion, but sometimes the ‘well of my heart’ is a bit dry.  I had to read the torah and haftorah a few times to see if anything stirred me or if I could even make a connection between the two; so here it goes.  Both stories involve a barren couple in their latter years.  Abraham and Sarah are well beyond childbearing age, and it appears that at least on the surface so is the woman in II Kings 4, who has no son and her husband is older (though she may be also).  I just noticed in reading both passages again, that they both involve hospitality, which initiates a dialogue between ‘heaven and earth’ you might say.  So let us use that to alert us in our day to day, to be aware of opportunities to entertain angels, as the word says. Thus, don’t be so ‘meeting oriented’ that you don’t allow your/our life to be a doorway for the presence of God… Anyway, on to connection number two: I would call it “God watches over not only to perform His promises but also cares about the testimony of His nearness”.  Isn’t it amazing that we know a God that doesn’t just ‘dazzle’ us with miracles but also cares about our hearts and lives.  Both of these couples experience the joy and splendor of God’s faithfulness to His word (through His servants) and are also encountered by the potential or real loss of what seemed like a significant expression of God’s heart and care for them.  Even on the surface; especially for Abraham and Sarah; God’s eternal purposes seem to be in jeopardy with the prospect of Abe’s son Isaac being sacrificed. Yikes! And yet as we are reminded in Psalm 2:4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh…God seems to be saying “Don’t worry; I have this!”.  Abraham moves ahead in ‘obedience’ to God, and has Isaac carry the wood for his personal sacrifice, up the mountain, tired, I’m sure; but oblivious.  Can you even imagine what Abraham’s internal dialogue must have been like?  Was he praying, or just pondering to make sense of it all?  Does that sound familiar to some of our processes?  I wonder if there are times when we should be praying, instead of processing… We like to say “God’s ways are perfect”; especially when they don’t disrupt my life and plans! The ‘nameless’ man and woman (the barren couple Elijah prayed for to have a son: II Kings 4:16) didn’t have that luxury; their kid just died, right in front of them!  Yet again, God has this one under control!  So, on a practical level; whether our dreams are threatened or come completely to an end and collapse; if they were initiated by the Lord God Almighty: “Don’t worry; I have this!”. Let that ‘peel off’ those layers of disappointment and even anger or consternation with the Lord; that which He has promised, He will do!  Allow Him the honor of being glorified in your life.  I have a ‘little’ saying: “We all want a miracle; but we don’t want the circumstances that require one!”.  Let’s say yes to God’s faithfulness and His laughter and begin to watch for those miracles, without personal damage, while we are in the His ‘waiting room’…He is a very happy Father, and we are at the center of His heart…by john eisner