God doesn’t always call us to leave where we are when things aren’t favorable in the natural realm. Unless, like with Jacob, it’s in fulfillment of a covenant promise. God is able to prosper us no matter where we are. And guess what? He doesn’t need your help or anyone else’s to take care of you. All He needs is our obedience. Abram went to Egypt without God’s permission during a famine and came back with a gift named Hagar. And we know the story. Whenever we stray from the directive we’ve been given, we will always find ourselves doing things we wouldn’t normally do to protect ourselves. Genesis 12
When God is in the details we needn’t fear the outcome and we will not have to deceive others. Jacob didn’t leave the land that was promised. In all his sojourning he basically stayed in the areas the Lord had told him his descendants would own. See Genesis 35. Genesis 37:1. Most of you are familiar with the story of Jacob’s son Joseph-Genesis 37-And how the Lord used what was meant for evil to fulfill the word He had spoken to Abraham. Genesis 15:12-21. When a famine hit Canaan Jacob didn’t leave right away, but rather he sent his sons to buy grain in Egypt-The very place where his son was now Governor. Genesis 39-42. God sustained Jacob’s family until the set time.
The famine was still great in Canaan, but because he trusted God and stayed, God used his son Joseph as a conduit of blessing, then the Lord confirmed the word He gave to Abraham in Genesis 46. I’m trying not to make this too long by not writing out the scriptures but do take the time to read them. Even if it’s familiar it’s worth revisiting. I’m laying a foundation for where the Lord is taking me for the title of this message. The blessing is in the obedience. It doesn’t mean there won’t be trials, but it doesn’t mean God isn’t in it. Joseph never fully understood why his brothers sold him. But when they showed up in the famine, which didn’t have to hit Canaan, I believe it was by design. Then he understood. Genesis 45. Now to our text.
“Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed Me and did everything I required of him, keeping My commands, My decrees and My instructions.” So Isaac stayed in Gerar. Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.”
Genesis 26:1-6, 12 NIV
A bumper crop! A hundred fold means not one grain, not one seed was wasted. Everything he planted produced. In a famine brought on by a drought, yet every well that Isaac’s servants dug had water in them. Obedience will produce supernatural provisions and protection no matter what the natural circumstances are saying. Listen to the voice of the Lord by His Spirit. Do exactly as He has instructed and you’ll be blessed even in a drought. Don’t run to Egypt, (the government) or even friends and family. There’s a time for that intervention. Jacob didn’t move to Egypt because of the famine, he had the resources to purchase all the supplies he needed. He moved with a promise from the Lord. So did his father Isaac. In fulfillment of what was spoken to Abraham. In our obedience we’ll find God in the details.
Sometimes what we think is better than where we are currently, turns out to be worse than we expected. That’s what happens when we move without hearing from the Lord. God wants to prove Himself to us and the people around us that He is God. He can do anything. This is what Isaac’s obedience produced. Remember the blessings through your obedience aren't always financial. It also includes your health and total wellbeing. Had I not listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit twenty seven years ago regarding my health, none of you would know about me. Prosperity isn’t always monetary, and money isn’t prosperity. 3 John 2. But most importantly it’s about His Name. People meet our God through us. They recognize His power and authority through us. Obedience produces the awe and wonder, fear and reverence of our God that He deserves. Let’s read and I’ll close.
“Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.” Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?” They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you that you will do us no harm, just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”
Genesis 26:16, 26-29 NIV
All this took place in a famine. They saw the hand of the Lord on Isaac’s life, and acknowledged his God. These were heathens. They did everything to discourage him, the philistines stopped every well, still the Lord gave him a hundredfold harvest. Our drought may be the greatest opportunity of a lifetime to be billboards for the Lord. There’s no testimony without a test. How will they know? By our obedience and our steadfast faith. The woman with the issue of blood spent everything trying to get well, then she heard about Jesus. Don’t allow the circumstances to speak louder than your God. Stay in Gerar, until you hear a certain word to move. Jacob got his confirmation on the way to Egypt.
“So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!” “Here I am,” he replied. “I Am God, the God of your father,” He said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”Genesis 46:1-4 NIV
Obedience invites the presence of God to be with us. That’s a comforting feeling. As a matter of fact it’s very reassuring to know we’re in compliance with the will of God. I can honestly say I didn’t come to America for a better life. I came at the invitation of my mother, who I was estranged from since I was a toddler. The worst had passed. I wasn’t suffering, I had a good job. I was living on my own. I wasn’t dissatisfied with my life. I was living for Jesus. But by being here, I have come to know that it was the will and plan of God for me, and He has blessed me tremendously, and He has tested me, stretched and matured me in my new country. I’ve learned to “trust in the Lord with all (my) your heart, lean not to (my) your own understanding. In all ( my) your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct(my) your path,” Proverbs 3:5-6. This is one of my favorite scripture verses.
Stay where you are and be blessed. Go where He tells you and be blessed. Psalm 37:23. We are blessed to overcome every adversity. Not by human might or power, but by His Spirit.
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant
July 7, 2021
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