Have you ever found yourself worrying about something before it even happens? Do you ever lie awake in the early hours of the morning, thinking through troubling circumstances that could eventuate? Well if you do, you have something in common with Abram.
There's probably nothing better than being exactly where God wants you to be but today we see that for Abram, being in the land God had guided him to, suddenly meant that he was going to have to endure a famine that came upon his land. Would Abram trust the God who had previously blessed and promised to make him a great nation?
"Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you." When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. And when Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai. So Pharaoh summoned Abram. "What have you done to me?" he said. "Why didn't you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!" Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had."
Genesis 12:10-20 NIV
Did God direct Abram to Egypt? No, it seems he made an executive decision that this was an easier option than staying in Canaan and having to trust God for food. Famine is a serious problem and Abram chose what he thought was the easiest way to keep his family safe but as he was getting close to Egypt, he came upon another problem!
Abram began to worry —his wife was very attractive and he was concerned that the Egyptians could potentially want to kill him and take her to be their wife. The more Abram worried instead of bringing his concerns to the Lord, the more he forgot to trust in the One who held the plans for his life! It appeared to be easier to deal with things his way and so Abram planned that they would lie and make people think Sarai was his sister. Does that sound like a good solution? (Sarai was in fact Abram's half sister so you could perhaps see this as a half truth but at the same time, it was also half a lie!)
Not giving God a chance to help them through the problem, Abram and Sarai went ahead with the lie and it wasn't long before Pharaoh had taken Sarai into his palace to be his wife, treating 'brother' Abram well! This doesn't sound at all like the plan God had for Abram!
Things became very complicated when suddenly the Lord caused the Pharaoh and his family to have serious diseases. Somehow, the Pharaoh realised that Abram and Sarai were not brother and sister after all! The diseases were the result of a lie! With the lie uncovered, Abram was ordered to leave with his wife.
How sad that Abram chose a lie over taking God at His Word! God had promised him children and if he had trusted God, there would be no need for lies and he would have avoided the wrath of the Pharaoh.
Are you worried about something right now? Why not take time to pray about it and trust God to bring a solution!
""Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" Matthew 6:25-27 NIV
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your goodness and mercy! I am truly blessed in so many ways and yet I admit that at times I have the tendency to worry and try to do things my own way. Today I trust You with my life. Guide me and protect me. I want to go Your way Lord! Please keep me looking to Your Word because: "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." Psalm 119:105 NIV.
May I remember: "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,". Nahum 1:7 NIV
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
"For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see."
Psalms 36:9 NLT
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Light and Life for Today
SpiritualitéA daily devotional for your time alone with God. In an increasingly dark world, more than ever, we need to look beyond what we can see, past our present circumstances. In order to see the light and experience life as our Heavenly Father intended, I...
