What To Do When the Famine Comes

This morning as I continue on in my reading of Genesis I was reminded of a verse we sometimes sing in our worship time at church. The song is called The Lord Our God and in the song is found this declaration to God. “We won’t move without you.”  In Genesis chapter twelve we find Abram (Later to be called Abraham) doing just the opposite.

A quick review of Abram’s life tells us that God called him out of the pagan land of Ur to become the spiritual father of the faith that would begin with Israel and end with the Church. From the loins of Abraham would come the Messiah. What an honor to be chosen by God. If you call yourself a Christian today then like Abram, you have been called out of your own land of Ur and have been given great spiritual blessings by way of your new birth into God’s holy family.

Abram responds to God’s call by faith, he leaves his homeland to go to a new land where God has promised to raise up a great nation from him. Genesis 12:4 tells us “Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” Imagine at the age of seventy-five packing up and leaving your home to go to a place you know nothing about. It was an act of faith. But as the song quoted above suggests, Abram did not move without God. And whenever Abram stopped, he built an altar to God and called upon Him.

But then things got difficult.

Genesis 12:10
Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.

But did you notice something here? God did not tell Abram to go down to Egypt. Abram’s faith began to falter and he took matters into his own hands. He stopped singing “We won’t move without you.” And when he got to Egypt he did not build an altar. Abram moved out of the will of God.

Egypt is a symbol of the world in the Bible. It speaks of the things that hinder us from enjoying our relationship from God. When we rely on the things of the world for our help we move away from God. We think we can do this ourselves. There is a warning in 1 Corinthians 10:12, which says, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”  When we begin to trust the world and ourselves, we drift from the altar of worship. It is a dangerous thing to be out of the will of God.

Abram’s decision to move ahead of God quickly goes south. He drags his wife into his sin by convincing her to tell the Egyptians that she is not his wife, but his sister, for Abram fears her beauty will get him killed. What a cowardly act. But when we move without God and think we have to defend ourselves then we will resort to whatever it takes to survive. But Abrams deception goes badly and Pharaoh takes his wife for his own.

There is a sidebar to this story that tends to slip by us. This story isn’t just about Abram and his wife. Abram is God’s choice along with Sarai, to be the beginning of the line from which our Savior, Jesus, will come. If Pharaoh had taken away Sarai from Abram then God’s promise falls apart. Wow, what a soap opera we have here.

But the lesson for Abram and for us becomes evident as God steps in and resolves the problem Abram’s deception has created.

Genesis 12:17
But the LORD struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.

Because God afflicted him Pharaoh sees the light and restores Sarai to Abram.

In case you don’t see it, here it is. God’s will shall be done. God’s plan of redemption will not fail. Jesus will be our Savior just as God’s plan was from all eternity. Man cannot thwart God’s perfect will.

So the lessons are many here in this story. Yes, we can fall into sin and drift from God. But if we are truly chosen by Him, then He will bring us out of Egypt. God takes the messes we make and turns them around so that His will is done. Romans 8:28 says “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Yes the word there is “all”, even our sinful acts.

None of this should lead us to think we can just live out life running around ahead of God knowing He will fix it all up anyway. First of all, if that is how you think maybe you are not truly His. One of the marks of a Christian is that he desires to know and put forth in his own life God’s will. It is also important to note that there are consequences to sin and God may very well allow us to wallow in the mud we ourselves have made. Scripture is replete with examples of this principle. Moses was unable to enter the Promised Land because of his sin. David’s child died because of his sin. We cannot take up residence in Egypt and expect to live in joy. Sin will wear you down.

So take heed from this story and be a person of faith. When the famine comes we tend to run. But do not do that unless you are sure God has told you to do so. God is sovereign, He and He alone is in control of circumstances. When the storms hit it is usually better to say, “What can I get out of this” rather than to say, “How can I get out of this?” Make James 1:12 real in your life which tells us “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

God will bring you through the fire. Pray, read His Word, and build your altar of worship, praise, and thanksgiving in whatever place God has sent you. Go when He says go, stay when he says stay. Sing those words in every situation, “We won’t move without you.”