One of my friends sent me a text the other day with an interesting statement on it, that’s what I want to share with you today. While she was at a meeting she heard a minister talking about when Isaac sowed in the land of famine.
You probably know the scriptures I am speaking of. It is found in Genesis 26:12-14. “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.”
In today’s society we don’t hear the word ‘famine’ very often, however, that is exactly what is going on in the world today. Our economy can be compared to exactly what was happening in Isaac’s day. God was not concerned about famine in Isaac’s day and He is not concerned about famine today. He has a way to prosper, even when all the conditions are seemingly against prosperity.
The world says ‘recession is coming, gather food and money and store it up.’ But God says ‘famine is here, sow.’ If you have been a believer very long you already know that God’s ways are usually the exact opposite of the world’s ways and His ways always work, if we obey them.
God told Isaac ‘don’t be afraid and don’t run, just sow and I will bless you.’ Isaac obeyed God, the Bible says he sowed in the land of famine and reaped a hundred fold return that same year. However, the Bible doesn’t stop there, not only did he reap a hundred fold in that same year…the prosperity continued growing…until he became very wealthy and had so many possession that the Philistines were jealous of him and his wealth. That, my friend, is what God does for His people in famine, at least for those who sow in famine. Famine doesn’t move God and it doesn’t change His principles.
The statement I heard from my friend was about this very scripture and the minister said ‘Isaac’s seed spoke directly to the famine and said “you are not going to be here long.”
There are two ways to handle approaching famine or lack. One is to hoard up and hope for the best. This is usually a reaction to fear. Now, I am not against saving, I think having an emergency fund or savings account is very wise, but I am talking about our attitude when famine appears to be here.
Don’t hoard or store up with an attitude of fear. Instead do whatever God tells you to do and if He tells you to sow in famine, then sow in famine. Put your seed in the ground and let it speak to the lack or famine in your life, let your seed say ‘famine, you are not welcome here. God has declared me blessed, He says everything I touch prospers, therefore my seed is prospering and producing a hundred fold return, famine, you won’t be here any longer, you have to go and make room for my blessing and my hundred fold return! My seed will continue producing until I am very prosperous, speak SEED, speak to the famine to go and speak to my harvest to come.’
What God did for Isaac, He will do for you. He is no respecter of persons. It is only in giving that we receive. It is only in sowing that we reap a harvest, there is no other way. If seed is not planted there will be nothing to grow from and if there is nothing to grow from, there will be no harvest.
If you find yourself in famine today, be encouraged, there is a way out…sow your seed and let it declare your prosperity.
