Dear Friends,

Have you ever wondered what to do when famine comes?  You know . . . a tough time, a decision time, a testing time.  You’re struggling and you know it.  Things aren’t as easy as this time last year and you just pulled your belt in another notch . . . “What am I supposed to do now?” – you ask yourself . . .

Possibly you’re sick and don’t feel so good – maybe it’s serious.  You could have just lost your job.  Your checkbook might have only a couple of dollars in it – or worse.  Maybe your retirement plans aren’t working out like you hoped.  Perhaps one of your best friends just abandoned you.  It could be that you’re alone in the middle of a “crowd.”

Whatever it is, there is hope.

There is always a way with God.  He always loves us and has our highest in mind.  He always has a plan.

Let’s look at Isaac for a moment.  (You know, the guy between Abraham and Jacob.)  He was now the head of his family and there was a famine in the land.  He was tempted to go to Egypt because that’s where the food was.  His father Abraham went to Egypt during a previous famine and his son would send his sons there when there would be a future famine.

Egypt represents our past: our sin, our failures, maybe even our successes.  Everybody seems to revert to what they “know” when there’s trouble.  We rely on our experience too often rather that talking to God about it.  Well, Isaac heard from God on the matter.  And it turned out well because he did.

Here’s what happened to Isaac according to the account in Genesis 26:

verse 1:  

A severe famine now struck the land, as had happened before in Abraham’s time.

verse 2:  

The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt, but do as I tell you.

verse 4:

• I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky,
• and I will give them all these lands,
• and through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

verse 6:

So Isaac stayed . . .

verse 12:  

When Isaac planted his crops that year, he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the LORD blessed him.

Did you get that?  I think that God’s Word presents us with a great pattern here for when famine is here.

Friends, please listen carefully.  God has not lost control.  He knows what’s going on and He knows best.

Please – please listen for His voice.  (Read the Word – Pray – Phone a friend – whatever it takes – just listen for His whispers.)  Then, obey what He says to do.  Don’t trust yourself.  Don’t revert to the “same-ol-same-ol.”  I’m telling you – you will never regret obeying God.

As my friend Tyrone Daniel said this week:

“God’s calling us to get out of our tents and count the stars – see the promise and not the famine”

Let’s choose to listen to God’s promises and act upon them – without wavering.  Even if everything is going well right now . . . Praise God for the blessing and save this blog for when things may not be going so good.

Love you Guys,

Steve 🙂