Have you ever been at a rough spot in your life—or maybe just a confusing spot—and thought to yourself, “I wish I knew what God wanted!” Maybe you even said it out loud as you knelt in prayer. Maybe you said it out loud and pounded your fist on the steering wheel as you drove around town.

We’ve all felt that way. It might be because we were without a job—or were looking for a new one. It might have been because we were thinking that a relationship we were in was about to change, or needed to. Maybe it was because of something our kids were going through—or needed to go through.

“What does God want?” Maybe we even stood out in our backyard or in a field and looked up into the sky and screamed out, “What do you want from me?!?!” It might have been in anger. Or it might have even been a plea as, for the first time in our life, we were overcome with the desire to serve God and called out, “What do you want?!?” Maybe we even dropped to our knees—beside a bed or on the grass—and whispered, like Isaiah, “Here am I, Lord. Send me.”

Sometimes that happens and it seems pretty clear what God wants. The phone rings just then and you find the job situation suddenly changed. Or, you go pick up the phone, dial your kid, and start to talk.

Other times, though, it’s not so clear. Both jobs are equal by every measurable standard. Neither path you take with your child will be pit-fall free. And sometimes we get discouraged, because we’re wondering if God spoke and we didn’t hear him. Or maybe he didn’t speak at all. The thought that maybe God doesn’t care which job I takes morphs into, “Maybe God doesn’t care about me at all.” We don’t want to admit to such a thought, but it creeps in anyway.

“What does God want?”

To know what God wants, wouldn’t it be helpful to know God? And that’s why we study the Bible and that’s why we’re spending so much time in the book of Genesis. I have read and heard (though, maybe everyone’s quoting the same source) that newcomers to a church make up their minds about that church in the first seven minutes. It has little to do with doctrine or anything like that. It’s mostly about “feel” and whether they feel welcome and wanted.

And you may remember the commercial—I think it was for toothpaste, or maybe mouthwash—that said, “You only get one chance to make a first impression.” It may be an exaggeration, and first impressions do occasionally turn out to be wrong, but most of us fight for that first impression. When applying for a job, we dress appropriately and try to find the right words. Same with the first time you meet new people in other settings.

Genesis is God’s first impression. And if we want to know God, it helps to know what he told about himself first.

Take this guy Abraham. He’s been promised a lot, but it’s not until here, at the age of 99, that the important part of the promise really takes flight.

God is patient.

Genesis 18:1-15

It’s taken God 99 years to get Abraham to this point. Surely God had reason to give up long before this. But he didn’t. God could see Abraham’s heart and knew that the man would become this man. So he waited.

Notice how Abraham reacts. When he sees these three men—notice that Abraham seems to just think they are men—he is immediately and overwhelmingly hospitable.

Why was Abraham so anxious to welcome these men. It might have been that he recognized them as “more than men”, though Scripture doesn’t say so. It’s also possible that his manner of greeting was just the custom for the time because Lot greets them in the same way. It may also be that Abraham—living out in the boonies—is just excited to see someone new.

But look at how he treats his guests! And he didn’t have a microwave in which to cook the meat from the freezer. Maybe it’s while all this stuff is being prepared that Abraham realizes his guests are something special. Think about his whole attitude, though. Remember the Mark Twain story where the king dresses up like a commoner so he can mingle among the people and see how things really are? What if you were one of the commoners who didn’t treat the king well? What would you say if he came back? “I didn’t know you were the king!”

Abraham treats his guests like royalty before he realizes that they are royalty. There’s been much debate over the centuries about whether this was God himself, pre-incarnate Jesus, or “just” the Angel of the Lord. Even if it’s “just” the angel, he has the authority to speak for God. He is God’s ambassador.

Abraham has nothing to be ashamed of when he catches on to who his visitor is! A good friend of mine named Bruce was telling me about a day at work when he really laid into a coworker for some mistake the coworker made. Bruce told me he was in the right. But, as he was finishing up and feeling pretty smug, he said he felt like the Holy Spirit was telling him, “Go ahead. Now invite the guy to church.”

Hebrews 13:1-2
Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (ESV)

If the people we are dealing with aren’t angels, they are still people who were created by God and whom God desires. What an impact we could make on this world if we’d just learn from Abraham and treat strangers with respect!

And what strangers these were! Now Moses, when he penned the account of this event, explains to us from verse 1 that the Lord is present. It’s not clear when Abraham (or Sarah) realize that the visitors are divine. Maybe it’s when the spokesman of the group says that, this time next year, Sarah will have a son.

You may remember, from hearing this story in the past or reading it yourself, that Sarah laughs at this news. She gets a bit of a rebuke from the Lord over this, but I don’t think it’s a big deal. In fact, I picture the Lord smiling when all this happens. If you look at the previous chapter, in verse 17, you’ll find that Abraham laughed at the news, too. Abraham’s laugh is one of joy and triumph, while Sarah’s appears to be a laugh of doubt. But remember: God’s already told them that the name of the child will be Isaac, a name that means, “He laughs.” God’s in on the joke! He knows that people of Abraham and Sarah’s age don’t have children anymore.

The joke’s on us all. Go ahead: tell God something is impossible.

What do I DO with this?

Get to know God. The world wants to paint God as either non-existent, or as harsh and cruel. But look at his patience. Remember how with Noah God had Noah preach for a hundred years first? Remember how Peter tells us that God is patient, wanting all to be saved?

And have a laugh. Rejoice in the Lord. He laughs, too, you know.