"JEHOVAH HAS PREVENTED ME"

 The family had recently returned from Egypt. (Genesis 13:1-4) They were encamped in the highlands east of Bethel, or Luz, as the Canaanites called it. From the lofty plateau, Sarah could see a great deal of the Promised Land. There were Canaanite villages and roads that led travelers to far-off lands. In all that panorama, though, there was nothing like Sarah's hometown. She had grown up in Ur, a Mesopotamian city that was a 1,200-mile (1,900 km) journey away. There she left behind many of her relatives, the conveniences of a thriving city with markets and bazaars, and her comfortable home with a solid roof and walls, perhaps even with running water! Yet, if we imagine Sarah gazing sadly to the east, pining for the comforts of her childhood home, we do not know this godly woman. 

Note what the apostle Paul was inspired to write some 2,000 years later. Speaking of the faith of Sarah and Abraham, he said: "If they had kept remembering the place for which they had departed, they would have had the opportunity to return." (Hebrews 11:8, 11, 15) Neither Sarah nor Abraham looked longingly to the past. Had they indulged in such thinking, they might well have decided to return home. Back in Ur, though, they would have missed out on the remarkable privilege Jehovah was offering them. And they would surely have faded from human memory instead of becoming inspiring examples of faith that have touched millions of hearts.

Next time: "JEHOVAH HAS PREVENTED ME" -Conclusion

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