Genesis 13

Look around and see

After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. ~ Genesis 13:14

Recently, I went through a time when a lot of decisions had to be made in a very short time. Some were ministry-related, others were personal. I had been holding onto a plan that felt safe and familiar, but I knew deep down it wasn’t producing. There was tension, internally and externally. I felt like I was being pulled in multiple directions, and I just wanted clarity. After much prayer, I made the decision to step back from a few things I had poured myself into. It was hard because I didn’t know what would come next. But in that place of surrender, God began to give me new vision, one step at a time. Letting go didn’t mean failure or closed doors. It created space for God to show me something new and better.

In Genesis 13, Abram faced tension too. His herdsmen and his nephew Lot’s herdsmen were arguing over space and resources. Abram chose peace over pride and offered Lot the first choice of land. After Lot separated from him, God spoke. He told Abram to lift his eyes and look in every direction. From that place, right where he was standing, God showed him the promise that would shape generations to come.

Maybe you’re in a similar moment. You’ve released something recently, whether by choice or by circumstance and now you’re in the space in between. It feels uncertain, maybe even disappointing. But what if this is the moment God is inviting you to lift up your eyes? Not to look back, but to see what He has set before you? Sometimes the clearest vision comes after the dust of a difficult decision has settled.

Here are some steps you can take in your “in between” time to walk it out in peace and receive  hope for what is coming next:

• Pause and pray, asking God to show you the bigger picture beyond what’s right in front of you.
• Release tension or comparison, especially when others seem to have chosen “the better land.”
• Trust that God has not overlooked you. He sees exactly where you’re standing.
• Write down any fresh direction or promise you sense He’s giving you now.
• Begin to thank Him for the new land He’s leading you into, even before you fully see it.

Today I want to encourage you to lift your eyes from the place where you are. Don’t let the tension of yesterday cloud your vision for today. What may feel like loss could actually be the beginning of your next season of growth. God is still writing your story, and the land ahead is full of promise. Trust Him to lead, provide, and reveal, faith to faith and step by step.

Today’s scripture reading: Genesis 13

1 So Abram left Egypt and traveled north into the Negev, along with his wife and Lot and all that they owned.

2 (Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.)

3 From the Negev, they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, and they pitched their tents between Bethel and Ai, where they had camped before.

4 This was the same place where Abram had built the altar, and there he worshiped the Lord again.

5 Lot, who was traveling with Abram, had also become very wealthy with flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and many tents.

6 But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together.

7 So disputes broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. (At that time Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land.)

8 Finally Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives!

9 The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.”

10 Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)

11 Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram.

12 So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain.

13 But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord.

14 After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west.

15 I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession.

16 And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted!

17 Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.”

18 So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. There he built another altar to the Lord.

Journal Prompt:

• What decision or shift have I recently experienced that’s left me feeling uncertain?
• What might God be showing me from where I’m standing right now?
• What “new land” could He be inviting me to see with eyes of faith?