Sunday thoughts

Well, this morning has dawned.  Not sure how much typing time I will get, but I did want to share with you something my  husband shared with me last night, and some thoughts about it. .... take the time (if you have it) to read the beginning of Genesis 26 in your bible, or you can read it below.  I've taken it from the NLT translation, it's one I'm looking into at the moment for a personal bible.  Red highlights are from me, so take note of those  words and phrases ....

Genesis 26

New Living Translation (NLT)

Genesis 26

Isaac Deceives Abimelech

 ¹ A severe famine now struck the land, as had happened before in Abraham’s time. So Isaac moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived.  ² The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt, but do as I tell you. ³ Live here as a foreigner in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. I hereby confirm that I will give all these lands to you and your descendants,^[a] just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father. 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. ⁵ I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, decrees, and instructions.” ⁶ So Isaac stayed in Gerar.
 ⁷ When the men who lived there asked Isaac about his wife, Rebekah, he said, “She is my sister.” He was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “They will kill me to get her, because she is so beautiful.” ⁸ But some time later, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out his window and saw Isaac caressing Rebekah.
 ⁹ Immediately, Abimelech called for Isaac and exclaimed, “She is obviously your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?”
   “Because I was afraid someone would kill me to get her from me,” Isaac replied.
 ¹⁰ “How could you do this to us?” Abimelech exclaimed. “One of my people might easily have taken your wife and slept with her, and you would have made us guilty of great sin.”
 ¹¹ Then Abimelech issued a public proclamation: “Anyone who touches this man or his wife will be put to death!”

Conflict over Water Rights

 ¹² When Isaac planted his crops that year, he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the LORD blessed him. ¹³ He became a very rich man, and his wealth continued to grow. ¹⁴ He acquired so many flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and servants that the Philistines became jealous of him. ¹⁵ So the Philistines filled up all of Isaac’s wells with dirt. These were the wells that had been dug by the servants of his father, Abraham.  ¹⁶ Finally, Abimelech ordered Isaac to leave the country. “Go somewhere else,” he said, “for you have become too powerful for us.”


Thoughts ....

There was a famine in the land where Isaac was.  In our lives we can go through periods of famine.  It might be a famine literally - where we are struggling to make ends meet, struggling to feed our families.  It might be a famine emotionally - a struggle to feel anything, love, hurt, anger, forgiveness.  It might be a personal struggle, a drought in feeling like God isn't talking to you.  A drought when you read His word - as though it isn't for you personally.  The drought may come in the form of having no family around who understand you, or literally and physically having no family around.  Drought's can some in all shapes, forms and sizes, and at various times in our lives they will come.

Next step ... fast forward till after Isaac has had to admit, actually Rebekah is his wife (oops, caught in a public display of affection).  He PLANTED HIS GRAIN IN THAT YEAR.  What year?  The year of the famine.  In all likelihood, he was planting seed in dusty, dry, parched ground.  His servants probably looked at each other and went, ok, this boss of ours is a few fries short of a happy meal.  Yet, Isaac showed his trust in the LORD and planted out his usual amount of grain.  The famine continued that year.  And yet, what do we read? That he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted for the LORD blessed him.  What an amazing God we see here.  In a year of famine, the grain produced a hundredfold, he was blest of the LORD - and that despite his shortcomings.  

We see in this passage both sides of Isaac - his human frailty (not trusting God to keep him and his family safe, so therefore lying about his relationship with Rebekah) and on the opposite side, his trust in God, that even during a famine year, the planted grain would sprout, grow and bring forth fruit.  And how did God bless that faith!  A hundred fold.  We too, can often swing from side to side, our human frailty reminding us just how much we are 'under the law', that we have sinned, that we don't deserve any blessing.  YET let us remember to sow in faith and know confidently that the LORD will bless our faith.  So we may not have family around BUT the LORD will (and does) provide firm friends who are closer than a brother.  We may feel emotionally cleaned out, but the LORD can provide a word in season via a book, DVD, friend or other means.  We may be struggling with a certain issue but He will give us first the faith to sow, and then will bless that sowing to us.

Mark 10: 29,30
²⁹ “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, ³⁰ will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. 


Isaac's blessing didn't come without a cost - first all his well's were filled up with dirt and then he was ordered to leave the land where he lived.  We too may find that struggles come along our way.  Others may not understand us, may accuse us of all sorts of things, put obstacles in our way, BUT we know who we have on our side.  He is strong to hold us, to give us His strength, to empower us with the faith and knowledge that the accuser (Satan) is crushed, that Jesus has died for us so that we may nevermore die!!  He is there is strengthen our faith, he is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrew 2:2)

He is faithful to bless us in this life and the next!!  AMEN - blessed be His holy name!  Let us rejoice then in what seems to be a year of famine and rejoice that He will open our eyes to behold HIS glory in those circumstances.  This is when we will see the LORD at work, see His strength and behold His beauty.