Monday November 28, 2016
Faith Not Feeling
-GENESIS 26:1-5
Key Verse:
"Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father" (Genesis 26:3).
On November 19, 1863 during the United States Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln delivered a graveyard oration that lasted only a few minutes. Known as the Gettysburg Address, the speech has been hailed throughout the ages for its nobility, brevity and capacity to hold out hope in dreary situations, This God-fearing American leader earns more accolades for his speech when it is considered that as he spoke, he was surrounded by famine, death and sorrow. Many still wonder if blessing, life and prosperity can emerge from famine and hopelessness? Despite the desolation and famine around Isaac in the land of Gerar, he remained there and received the blessing God promised Abraham and his seed. Isaac probably contemplated migrating to Egypt to escape the famine, but God whose power to bless is not circumscribed by man's limited abilities or earthly circumstances told him to stay right in the midst of the economic depression to enjoy uncommon boom. Isaac promptly obeyed and the Bible records later that he "sowed in that land and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. And the man waxed great..." (Genesis 26:12,13). We must learn from Isaac who got a golden gift from God in the land of famine when everyone was running helter-skelter. First, he listened to God's prompting to stay where he was and wait for what He had in store for him. Next, Isaac literally swam in the deluge of God's promises which He reeled out to him. He watered the arid land with the promises and the ground could not but yield its hidden treasures. Are you spiritually or physically overwhelmed by depression and famine? You can convert them into a golden season of abundance by drawing on the "Isaac-Formula".
Thought for the day: Famine can be golden if you have Jesus!
Bible Reading in one Year: DANIEL 1 - 2
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