I wonder who may be reading this devotion today? And I wonder if you are journeying through a new season? You haven’t passed through this way before, and you are relying on God to help you.
Look out for Moreh.
“Abram travelled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time, the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspringI will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.” (Genesis 12 v 6-7)
Moreh means ‘teacher’.
This was no ordinary tree; it was the great tree of Moreh, at Shechem.
Perhaps Moreh was a landmark where people gathered for debate and instruction; it might have been like ‘Speakers Corner’ in Hyde Park, London. It was here that Abram met with God, his teacher and instructor.
We know more than Abram knew at the time. He didn’t see the significance of Shechem. It was situated at an important passage between the mountains of Gerizim and Ebal, where Moses would pronounce the blessings and curses in Deuteronomy; it was where Joshua gathered all the tribes for his speech before his death.
Of course, he didn’t know that. But he encountered God in the place of building an altar of worship in that season of uncertainty, where faith was needed for tomorrow. And maybe that was the lesson God was teaching him: to worship Him even when you do not understand everything. It is certainly something we all need to learn: to worship in a place of transition, not when everything is calmer or more worked through.
Sometimes God acts only after we have worshipped.
Sometimes God speaks only after we have worshipped.
Sometimes God shows up only after we have worshipped.
If you are in an uncomfortable setting right now, look around; there may be a great tree nearby, which could mean God is teaching you a lesson, and that maybe God is waiting for your worship.
Missions Paul 