So You’re Just Going To Give Up?

“When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.” - Genesis 14:14-16
 
 
Everyone, at some point or another, loses something very dear to them. It could be a physical possession. It could be a loved one. It could be their status. It could be any number of things. When they lose it, life saps them of that which brought them fulfillment, satisfaction, and happiness, and all of the sudden they wrestle with what they should do about it.
 
Many wallow in the wastelands of self-pity and sadness. They spend all of their time depressed, or they go through the rest of their lives lamenting what was and what could have been. Maybe you can identify with so many individuals who find themselves in this place… Maybe you feel better knowing others are in the same boat. But at that point, you can’t just give up.
 
In a real sense, this was the dilemma for the patriarch, Abram. As he journeyed towards the place of promise that God had for him, the text says that someone dear to him was taken. By way of background, the 14th chapter opens by chronicling the conflicts and the struggle for power between various northern kingdoms and their leaders. In the midst of all the warfare and the turmoil, Lot got caught up in the crossfire and the enemies to the north took him captive. Lot, a member of Abram’s family, was in a crisis, and his life and the life of his family (his welfare) were at stake!
 
Maybe you can identify with this situation. Perhaps you have found yourself in a situation where you had everything to lose. Maybe you are in a situation like this right now. The question is, are you going to give up or fight back? The Bible is filled with verses and examples of ordinary people who, when faced with adversity, refused to give up. They turned to God and trusted that He would deliver them. Had they not, their stories likely would have never made it to Scripture. If you are a believer, and you have trusted God with your eternal destiny, are you going to give up on Him now?