Life-Changing Moments

Throughout the Bible, and time and time again in the lives of people today – including my life, and yours, no doubt – God achieves His plans and purposes, even despite our stumbles and errors. He turns our mistakes into His miracles! 

This is exciting stuff, and in this plan we’re going to explore our mistakes and God’s miracles from His perspective. 

After all, God has a plan for each one of our lives – a plan that’s been designed to fit perfectly with who He made each one of us to be (check out Psalm 139:16 for more on that). 

And His plan is worked out in our lives through His grace for His glory – even despite what you and I do or fail to do.

So let’s go back to Abraham (or Abram as he was known at the time), the man with whom God’s engagement of His chosen people began. 

In Genesis 12, God instructs Abram to go from the land where he lived, because God planned to bless him with new lands and make him the father of “a great nation.” Pretty great, huh? You would think Abram would jump at that offer, wouldn’t you?! 

But before he obeys, he makes his own Plan B. 

Have you ever done that; decided that God needs a helping hand because He clearly doesn’t know what He’s doing? 

When God tells Abram to leave behind his extended family, he instead decides to take along his nephew, Lot, as his heir and successor. (Abram’s action implied that God didn’t know what He was promising, so Abram decided he needed a backup plan.)

So, how did that work out? 

Well, Genesis 13:5–7 says it all: “Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents so that the land couldn’t support both of them living together … And there was strife between them …”

Gee whiz! Plan B worked really well, didn’t it? Strife, separation, and Abram ultimately gave away the best half of the Promised Land. 

The thing is Abram was a man of great faith – amazing faith! – and even he could make terrible errors that had catastrophic consequences. 

You and I are in that same boat with him. Capable of great faith … and great mistakes. 

Yet God can turn the latter into the former. Tomorrow, we’ll take a closer look at how He does it.

Life Application Questions

• As you look back on some of your mistakes, how do they make you feel? Have you ever found yourself at the point of thinking, “That has to be it! God must be done with me now”? 
• Compare what Hebrews 11:8–12 says about Abram with the reality of the debacle with Lot that you read about today. What’s God saying to you? 
• What would you have done in Abram’s situation if God called you to leave your home because you would become the leader of a new nation? 
• We see later in Genesis chapter 14 that God saved Abram and Lot, in effect compensating for Abram’s mistake. Why do you think He did that?