Blessings in Times of Famine - Redigging the Wells...

A guy I was talking with last week was lamenting the state of the economy, the pitiful job market, & the general doom & gloom that he (& many others) have been living under since the crash of 2008. He lamented, "I guess we'll just be going through a lot more of these difficulties until there is some kind of turnaround. And that is IF it even happens..." At that moment, I felt a strong 'nudge' from the Holy Spirit which directed me to re-read Genesis 26. It tells the story of God's faithfulness & blessing to Isaac (the son of Abraham.) The story takes place near a Philistine village called Gerar, (it is located in modern south-central Israel.) The whole region was suffering a famine of epic proportions, & hordes of humanity were relocating in an attempt to find a place on the earth where the famine wasn't as bad. It is in this context that God addresses Isaac & informs him of His plans for him:

Sojourn in this land, and I will BE WITH YOU and WILL BLESS YOU, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. Genesis 26:3,4 (See Genesis 12 for more on God's promise to Abraham).

Genesis 26:12 & 13 recount that Isaac took God at His word & he planted his crops in SPITE of the famine. As a result, God did bless Isaac, & He didn't do it just a little bit - He blessed Isaac a hundred-fold, which is Hebrew slang for "beyond description & beyond measure." The Lord used the reminder of this story as a way of jogging me out of the 'realities' of a struggling economy, reports of doom & gloom, & the like, & He turned my eyes to the fact that He calls us, His kids to look to Him for provision, no matter what the days & times might hold. Further, God wants to bless us so that we can be a source of His blessing to others. Think on that - & I'm praying that God turns our eyes to Him, & fills our hearts with faith to believe He is actively at work in & around us! I'm praying for you! Louie