Friday, May 10, 2002
My wife had plans for that particular Saturday. And, I was busy working with our high school football team. But all that changed really fast. A friend came running to get me because our then 12-year-old son had injured himself playing a pickup game of football in the park. As I arrived at the field, he came walking up to me holding one arm, breaking my heart with the most pained and pitiful look I think I've ever seen in his big blue eyes. One glance told me that he had broken his arm - it was protruding grotesquely. And, needless to say, our plans for that day went out the window. There was something much more important to do. We had a broken son.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Battles That Really Matter."
Someone we loved was in trouble. It was obvious that we had to drop everything to help put him back together. It was a long, grueling day, much of it spent with a specialist - but with a lot of physical pain for our son and emotional pain for us - his healing began.
There are times in our lives when our priorities need a shakeup - and we need to focus the best we've got on helping a loved one in trouble. It happened to Abram in our word for today in the Word of God. The story is in Genesis 14, beginning with verse 11. Abram's beloved nephew Lot is living in the city of Sodom. After the death of Lot's father, Uncle Abram had become like a father to him. Now, when four Canaanite kings sacked Sodom, the Bible says, "They also carried off Abram's nephew Lot and his possessions."
Abram's response? "When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit." Abram attacked the marauding kings and routed them. Then, according to Genesis, "he recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people."
OK, simple principle at work here: when someone you love is in trouble, drop everything to fight for them. It may be one of those "drop everything" times for you - because someone you care about is in trouble. No matter how busy you are, you need to focus your personal attention on the loved one who's struggling or in danger. It is time to mobilize focused prayer on their behalf, to give them your undivided attention, to fast and pray for them, to listen to them, to apologize if that's needed, to forgive if that's needed, to show them your unconditional love no matter how hard that is. They don't need your preaching, or your nagging, or your condemning right now - they need you - and, like Abram, all the forces you can mobilize to bring them back.
You may have a child who is obviously starved for more of your attention - or a spouse who is. You may have a prodigal loved one who needs your prevailing prayer and your open arms. You may have a mate or a loved one who is showing in many ways that they just haven't had enough of you.
It may well be the most important battle you have to fight right now - the battle to rescue someone you love who's struggling or wandering or setting off alarms. Do not miss this moment. Don't let less important battles blind you to this one that maybe only you can fight, with the power of Almighty God. Someone you love is breaking or broken. Fight for them.