Verse of the day: Genesis 12:10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram
went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.
We said yesterday that Abraham, though a man of great
faith, was an ordinary man like you and I. He further demonstrates this in his
actions here in chapter 12, as we see him going to Egypt, during the famine,
without first inquiring with God as to whether or not he should go there. There
exists a great temptation to seek our own solution, or take our own path, when
we are serving God, and we come upon an obstacle on that path. Although Abraham
is in the land by God’s direction, when the famine strikes, he does not resort
to prayer or turn to God for direction, which we see results in great insecurity,
stress, and causes Abraham to turn to his own devices in attempting to save his
own life, should things go awry in Egypt (v. 11-13). When Abraham first arrives
in Canaan, God is already there, and promises that the land will be given to
his descendants (v. 7). Abraham, in response to this promise, builds and altar
to the LORD (v. 8). So, as he continues southward, and sees the famine. Why
would he not stop and inquire of God, who has already spoken to him? Too often,
in our own journey and service to the Lord, the temptation exists for us to
think that we can solve our own problems. We take a detour on the path that God
puts us on because we experience some challenge or trial, and rather than turn
to the Lord in prayer, and wait for His answer, we “take matters into our own
hands”. The end result is that we are sometimes forced to resort to dishonesty
or deception to rescue ourselves from the circumstances we then create for
ourselves. Abraham now finds himself in a place where he has acted deceitfully,
and ultimately is rebuked by Pharaoh (which is not the best testimony for a
believer), as God reveals to Pharaoh what he has done in taking Sarah to
himself. In the end, God allows Abraham to go his own way, resort to his own
devices, and when he complicates a situation that should not have even taken
place, God still shows him great mercy and grace in rescuing him, and Sarah,
from the situation they put themselves in by being where God did not tell them
to go. We do ourselves, and others close to us, a disservice when we lean our
own understanding of a situation or circumstance, and fail to trust God to see
us through whatever it is that He has allowed. The LORD could very well have
provided for Abraham, Sarah, and Lot, in Canaan, during the famine, if He so
pleased. Even if He had sent Abraham to Egypt, He would have sent him already letting
him know that He had gone ahead, and that he, and his family, would be safe
under God’s protection. However, because Abraham did not inquire with God
first, we see a change in his attitude, and a loss of inner peace, as he and
Sarah approach Egypt (v. 11-13). So is our inner peace disrupted when we choose
to take our own path, based on our own estimation and understanding of a
situation, and fail to seek God’s guidance. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to trust
the Lord with all our heart, and not trust in our own understanding;
acknowledging Him in all our ways, and trusting Him to direct our paths. The
bottom line is that when God sets us on the path He has for us, He does not
abandon us on that path. He remains with us, and regardless of what He allows
on that path, He looks for us to turn to Him for the solutions to the
challenges we may face along the way. Let us stay on the path He has put us on,
and travel it by faith, keeping our eyes on Him, and not the circumstances that
might overwhelm us, and cause us to think that we need to resort to our own
wisdom and devices in finding solutions, or attempting to meet our own needs.
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