Where Will You Meet with God?

Where can you meet with God? Abram and God spent time together near the trees of Mamre. These meetings were always marked by a sense of awe, an atmosphere of holiness. This begs the question: Where will you meet with God?Branches of oak tree

In Genesis 12, God called Abram to leave all that he knew and follow God to wherever God would show him to go. Near the end of chapter 13, we find Abram settling for a while at the trees of Mamre at Hebron. There he built an altar to the LORD. A lot of life happens in the next few chapters–some, very special and some, messy and painful. It is during this time that God renames Abram to be Abraham, because he would be a father of many nations.

One thing occurs consistently near the trees of Mamre: God appears to Abraham several times, both in visions and in person. In fact, many scholars believe that one of the three visitors in chapter 18 was Jesus in bodily form.

These meetings were always marked by a sense of awe, an atmosphere of holiness.

The question begs itself: Where will you meet with God?

A few months ago while I was out running–really it’s a very slow, low-impact jog, which I call a slog–I experienced one of those moments when the supernatural intersects with the natural. I had not been reading about Abraham, and I had no recollection about the trees of Mamre. I was slogging along my regular route when I passed between two trees–not even big ones–situated diagonally on either side of the path. The phrase “trees of Mamre” passed through my mind as I slogged between the trees, marveling at the stunning sunrise. The words shocked me. I turned around and looked back at the trees, and they looked perfectly normal. They didn’t have any heavenly, golden light around them or anything like that. I didn’t fall to the ground in reverence. I came home and Googled “trees of Mamre.” They are actually described as oak trees, and the trees I passed between were not oaks. I learned that Abraham lived near these trees for a good portion of his life, and, in a way, the trees symbolized where he met with God.

The next time I went out slogging, I tried to recreate the moment. I took the same path and passed between the same trees. Nothing happened. I’ve been wondering about it ever since. In the months that followed I did meet with God, and special things happened in my life, but I have no idea if they were connected to that moment.

What I find important is that in that spot God appeared to Abraham, and Abraham opened his heart and his home to Him. Abraham even prepared a full meal for the three visitors in Genesis 18, and they ate it while Abraham stood under a tree.

Where is your tree of Mamre? Where is your regular spot that you can meet with God? I’m not a good enough athlete to go jog to those trees every day, and my spot in my house where I read God’s Word and listen to Him is not special in any physical way. It’s in a room that is supposed to be a dining room but instead houses a printer, a file cabinet, and a small antique desk covered in paperwork. Across from all of that sit two 1990s-era recliners, which I keep saying I should sell in a garage sale. My best moments with God are when I sit in one of those chairs, reading my Bible, looking out the front window. Even the physical view is not beautiful. But what happens in that chair is. Truth be told, my other spot is in bed, with my back propped up by three pillows.

I encourage you to find a spot you can set aside–in your heart, if not physically–and make it your meeting place: the place where you will read the Bible, ponder God’s Word and its meaning, and open your heart and your hands to the LORD. He is waiting to dine with you under your trees of Mamre.

For a recent devotion on Abram, click here.

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