A lot has happened since Abram first received the call to leave his Fathers land and family. He’s been through a lot and journeyed far.

And so we come to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, the place where Abram’s nephew Lot and his family were living. As many will know those cities were destroyed because the evil in them was so great. However, because of Abram’s pleading with the Lord, Lot and his family escaped the destruction.

Just after Sodom and Gomorrah have been destroyed, we read this in verse 27.

Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD. Genesis 19:27

There is no more elaboration on this or even any detail on where he was standing, or why he is standing there, but my gut is that he stood where he had pleaded with the Lord to save Lot and his family. I’m not sure what his emotions were but I imagine he had a lot on his mind.

Was he wondering if Lot was OK? Had he made it out alive. Was he watching the destruction worrying about the fact he had kind of argued with God and perhaps was thinking if that was a bad idea? Was he wondering what he was doing there? Was he regretting his decision to leave his homeland? Was he processing the fact he’d just been told he’d become a dad in his 100th year?

We don’t know for sure but what I love about this verse is that it talks about Abram returning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. As I read it I imagine Abram thinking about how he needed to remind himself about all that God had said and who He was.

There are always seasons in our lives where we are fearful or uncertain. Times where our emotions are frayed and we aren’t thinking straight. We have a choice in those moments as to whether we throw it all away or remember what we know to be true.

Remembering truth can be so difficult.

Returning is the process that helps us do that.

When we return to a place, or read a testimony of Gods breakthrough, or think back on a significant marker point in our journey, something happens in our soul. It roots us back to that moment when we could hear God clearly or where we saw his hand so obviously on our lives. It’s why it is so important for us to record these moments and reflect on what happened. It’s so important that we remember who God is in all moments of our lives.

Returning helps us to remain in His presence, even if the world around us has gone crazy.

Where might we need to return to today to remember who He is and who He has called us to be?