Day 15 – Provision and Parting
Releasing to Receive
However you can engage today, we’re here. Read, listen or both.
The written portion gives an overview, with verses broken down into smaller bites, and journaling/prayer prompts for reflection. In the podcast, Steve Traylor reflects on today’s passage with Scripture reading, a deeper pastoral teaching, and prayer (about 15 minutes). Perfect for morning coffee, commutes, or when your eyes need a rest.
Genesis 13:1–18
Step into Day 15 with eyes open to God’s abundance.
Abram and Lot have traveled together—family, wealth, and flocks multiplying. But growth brings tension. The land cannot sustain them both. Conflict emerges between their herdsmen.
This is a business and family partnership, not a covenant marriage—and sometimes even good relationships must shift when practical realities demand it.
If you’ve ever faced a relationship strain where there simply wasn’t enough space, enough resources, or enough peace for everyone to flourish together—you know this ache.
Today we see: God provides even when we must part ways. He makes room. He gives generously. And He blesses those who choose peace over possession.
1. Prosperity and Problems
Genesis 13:1–7
¹ Abram went up out of Egypt—he, his wife, all that he had, and Lot with him—into the South. ² Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. ³ He went on his journeys from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, ⁴ to the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first. There Abram called on the LORD’s name. ⁵ Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks, herds, and tents. ⁶ The land was not able to bear them, that they might live together; for their possessions were so great that they couldn’t live together. ⁷ There was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites lived in the land at that time.
Abram returns to the place of the altar. Back to where he first called on the LORD’s name.
This is spiritual reorientation—returning to the place where he first encountered God.
But even faithful people face practical problems.
Abram and Lot are both wealthy now. Flocks multiply. Possessions grow. And suddenly, the land cannot hold them both.
Their herdsmen quarrel. Not because anyone is wicked—but because resources are limited and tension is real.
Sometimes conflict arises not from sin, but from growth that strains relationship.
And here is grace for those navigating painful separations in family or business relationships: Not every parting is failure. Sometimes God is making space for both parties to flourish.
Journaling/Prayer: Have you experienced a relationship strain where growth—not sin—brought tension? Where practical realities made it difficult to stay close to someone you care about?
If you’re in a season of necessary separation, ask God to help you see His provision in the parting—not just loss, but the making of space for what He’s preparing next.
If you’re grieving a relationship that had to shift or end, tell Him honestly: “This hurts. I don’t understand why there wasn’t enough room.”
He hears. He sees. And He is already at work creating space for what you need.
2. Generosity and Grace
Genesis 13:8–13
⁸ Abram said to Lot, “Please, let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen; for we are relatives. ⁹ Isn’t the whole land before you? Please separate yourself from me. If you go to the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right hand, then I will go to the left.”
¹⁰ Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well-watered everywhere, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar. ¹¹ So Lot chose the Plain of the Jordan for himself. Lot traveled east, and they separated themselves from each other. ¹² Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived in the cities of the plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom. ¹³ Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against the LORD.
Abram could have pulled rank. He is the elder. The one God called. The one with the promise.
But instead, he offers Lot first choice.
“The whole land is before you. Choose.”
This is generosity rooted in trust—trust that God’s provision is not dependent on claiming the best for yourself.
Lot looks and sees lush land—well-watered, abundant, promising. He chooses what appears best by sight.
Abram takes what remains.
And yet, Scripture quietly notes: Lot moves toward Sodom—a place of wickedness.
Choosing by sight alone can lead us toward danger we don’t yet see.
Abram’s choice—rooted in trust rather than appearance—positions him for God’s unfolding blessing.
Journaling/Prayer: Where are you tempted to grasp for what looks best rather than trusting God’s provision in what remains? Have you ever chosen by sight only to realize later you were walking toward trouble?
If you’re facing a choice right now where someone else is getting what looks better, ask God for the grace to trust His provision in what He’s giving you—even if it doesn’t look as lush or promising.
If you’re struggling with envy or comparison, tell Him that. Say: “I’m struggling to trust You with this. It’s hard watching someone else get what looks better.”
He can handle your honesty. And over time, He will show you that His provision for you is not less—it’s different, and it’s exactly what you need.
3. Promise and Perspective
Genesis 13:14–18
¹⁴ The LORD said to Abram, after Lot was separated from him, “Now, lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, ¹⁵ for I will give all the land which you see to you and to your offspring forever. ¹⁶ I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring may also be counted. ¹⁷ Arise, walk through the land in its length and in its width; for I will give it to you.”
¹⁸ Abram moved his tent, and came and lived by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD.
After Lot departs, God speaks.
“Lift up your eyes. Look in every direction.”
God shows Abram the vastness of His provision—not just the small patch Lot left behind, but land stretching beyond what he can see.
And then God invites Abram to walk through it. To experience, step by step, the promise He’s giving.
God does not merely tell Abram—He invites him to inhabit the blessing.
Abram responds by building an altar. Worship marks the place of provision.
This is the pattern: trust, release, receive, worship.
When we release what we’re tempted to cling to, God often reveals provision far greater than we imagined.
Journaling/Prayer: Where is God inviting you to “lift up your eyes” and see His provision more expansively? What might He be giving you that you can’t yet see because you’re focused on what someone else has?
If you’re struggling to see God’s provision in your life right now, ask Him to give you new eyes.
Say: “I feel like I got the leftovers. Show me what You’re actually giving me.”
And then wait. Listen. Look.
He will show you. Not all at once, perhaps. But over time, you will see that His provision for you is not scarcity—it’s abundance you didn’t yet have eyes to see.
Summary
Today we saw tension arise not from sin, but from growth.
We saw Abram choose generosity over grasping, peace over possession.
We saw God respond to trust by expanding vision and deepening promise.
Lot chose by sight. Abram chose by faith.
And God blessed the one who trusted Him with what remained.
If you’re navigating a painful parting, a strained relationship, or a season where someone else seems to be getting the better deal—remember this:
God’s provision is not limited by what others choose. He is not running out of blessing. And when you choose trust over grasping, He will show you abundance you cannot yet see.
Action / Attitude for Today
As you move through your day, notice where you’re tempted to grasp, control, or secure “the best” for yourself.
In one small area—whether it’s a conversation, a decision, or a relationship—choose generosity over grasping.
Choose today to trust that God’s provision for you is not dependent on claiming the best for yourself.
Not because it’s easy. Not because you feel confident. But because God sees further than you can.
And if today you’re grieving a separation—if you’re struggling to believe God’s provision is enough—tell Him that.
Say: “I don’t see Your abundance yet. Help me trust that You’re making space for something I need.”
That prayer is enough.
God will meet you there. And in time, He will lift your eyes to see what He’s been preparing all along.
The Bible for the Broken is published by Aurion Press LLC. © Aurion Press LLC. All rights reserved.