Don't Be Fenced In

Genesis 12:1,2,4 – Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing." So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. (NKJV)

Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above,
Don't fence me in.
Let me ride through the wide open country that I love,
Don't fence me in.

Although intent on the pastor's message about God commanding Abram to go into the Promised Land and how He would give him much land and blessings, this old tune by Cole Porter crept into my mind while I was listening to the message. This sometimes happens when I am being distracted by the enemy who attacks me with annoying voices, even in church. When I realized the distraction by the enemy, I quickly refocused my mind on God's Word. I started thinking, however, about this tune again when I got home from worship.

It caused me to think about the promises God made to Abram for his obedience. He did not try to fence Abram in, but gave him the freedom to go out and expand his territory — which, through his obedience, would bring many blessings to him and generations of others. The enemy, if we let him, will do anything in his bag of tricks to distract us from drawing near to God and from obeying Him. As difficult as it often is, we must remain focused on the goal of eternity with Christ, and follow His commands and not let Satan fence us in — lest we end up, through our disobedience, like Lot's wife. Along with the others, she was clearly instructed not to look back.

Genesis 19:26 – But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. (NKJV)

Prayer: Dear Lord, we give our praise and thanks to You for the blessings promised to all those who follow You in faith and obedience to Your Word. Keep us ever vigilant, to keep the enemy from fencing us in and keeping us from our eternal blessing. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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