Genesis 26:26 A severe famine now struck the land, as had happened before in Abraham's time. So Isaac moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived.
2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt, but do as I tell you. 3 Live here as a foreigner in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. I hereby confirm that I will give all these lands to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father. 4 I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
It occurred to me, as I continued reading the story of Isaac that we especially need the promises of God when we are going through difficult times. When our immediate situation looks bleak, we need the perspective of eternity...from the One who knows the end from the beginning. Otherwise our present outlook can be driven down to match our present circumstances. But this is where faith becomes hope and where trust in God really shines...and our inner person can thrive while our outer person may suffer. That's why we should mine the promises of God as some mine for diamonds and gold. They are especially precious to remember when times are tough! Here is an example of one of these promises from the New Testament:
Romans 5:21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
blessings,
Rob Smith
No comments:
Post a Comment