September 3, 2026; Genesis 20

Daily Dose of Hope September 3, 2026   Scripture: Genesis 20   Prayer: Amazing Father and Lord, Thank you for who you are.  Thank you for how you care for us.  We get distracted.  We veer away from you and your Word.  For that, we are so very sorry.  Forgive us, Lord.  Help us to abide in you.  Help us to remain close so that we can be fruitful and effective for your Kingdom.  Help us get outside ourselves and see others as you see them.  Lord, we belong to you.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently studying the book of Genesis, and its full of sinfulness, drama, but also a lot of God's mercy.  Today, we are reading Genesis 20.   So, Abraham and Sarah are back on the move, the Scripture saying that they moved toward the south, in a town named Gerar.  Okay, can you believe Abraham tries to pass Sarah off as his sister again?  By this time, Sarah is in her nineties.  Yet, the king, Abimelech, still brings her into his palace.  We could probably spend some time talking about this point, but I'll let it go.  It's just kind of weird.   God intervenes again.  He comes to Abimelech in a dream and tells him that Sarah is Abraham's wife.  God also calls Abimelech a dead man unless he has Abraham pray for him.  Once again, Abraham makes a bad decision, lies, puts his wife in a really vulnerable situation, and God saves him.  It is amazing.  God is going to be sure that he keeps his promise through Abraham.  Despite Abraham's stupidity.    I guess that's good news for us.  God keeps his promises to us, he cares for us, and he shows us mercy, even when we mess up over and over again.  God uses a very flawed man called Abraham to build a nation.  If he can do that, then he can also use you and me.  Maybe it's kind of odd, but this gives me a lot of encouragement.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki