"And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: 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 26:1-3).
Famine at anytime indicates a serious problem. Certainly, a time of famine in any community is never a period of joy or laughter because the physical survival of people would hang in the balance. The aftermath of any period of famine is usually calamitous, and it would take quite a while for the community to get back on its feet.
But it was in such a period of famine that Isaac received God’s promise of abundance and also saw the fulfilment of that promise. The Bible declares that in the time of famine, "Isaac planted crops in the land. They grew well. They grew to 100 times the amount that he planted. This was because the Lord blessed him" (Genesis 26:12, Easy
English Version). Friends, it is possible to have abundance in the midst of scarcity when God is involved with you.
The involvement of God in any situation will always change the equations. Normal calculations and permutations that we are used to as humans will fail to produce expected results. When God is involved in
your case, two plus two may not always be four because God is above and beyond two plus two. God is a God of miracles, and when we talk of miracles, natural laws must bow for its Creator.
When famine hit the country where Isaac dwelt, he decided to flee to Egypt. God intervened, instructing him to stay where he was and not to flee, assuring him of His presence and blessing. The Lord kept his promise and blessed Isaac because he did not go to Egypt. Obedience will always be the price we must pay to access God’s blessings and see the fulfilment of His promises.
Friends, do you want God to change things in your favour? Do you want the hour of famine to be turned into your season of abundance? Do you want to experience the miracles of God from time to time wherein
natural laws shall be suspended just for you to receive your desired blessings? Then pay the price of obedience to the commands of God.
Like that popular Christian hymn tells us, we must "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus". May the Lord grant us all grace and strength to live a life of consistent obedience.
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