Genesis 26 reminds us that no matter what opposition we face from the world, we can trust God to provide for our needs because He has promised to do so.
Three takeaways from my time in Genesis 26:12-33 this week.
1. God keeps His promises and He has promised to bless His people. Since it is not in God's nature to lie (Heb. 6:18), when He makes a promise He is always faithful to keep it for He cannot deny himself (2 Tim. 2:13). Therefore, we can confidently trust in God's promises and one of those promises is that He blesses His people. This prompts the question, "Do we recognize God's blessing in our lives and when He blesses us, do we bless Him?" Isaac recognized the source of his continual blessing was the Lord and he rightfully worshiped Him.
2. Other people may not celebrate God's blessing on your life. The sad truth is that most people won't celebrate God's blessing on your life. I'm not sure if it is insecurity, jealousy, or a combination of both but instead of us seeing more well-wishing – we see more well-fighting. Abimelech was threatened by and envied God's blessing on Isaac's life which caused him to continually oppose Isaac, forcing Isaac to move from location to location digging new wells in search of water. But how does Isaac respond in the face of opposition? He doesn't retaliate. He confidently moves on because he knows the Lord is with him and the Lord is faithful in providing for him. Two questions to ponder, "How do we respond to God's blessing on others? Secondly, how do we respond to opposition?"
3. God calls us to press on in confident faith based on His promises, expecting and enjoying His blessings, and living in a manner that the world may acknowledge Him as the source of our blessing. I love this term to "press on", to persevere, or better yet to be resolved. In the face of opposition, Isaac didn't complain about his situation nor did he worry about where he would find water next. He was able to press on in confident faith, fully expecting and eager to enjoy God's blessing because God keeps His promises and He has promised to bless His people. As Isaac lived in the expectation of God's provision and worshiped and blessed Him upon receiving it – a beautiful thing happened – others witnessed it! Other people witnessed the manner in which Isaac lived and as a result they acknowledged that God was the source of Isaac's blessing. Abimelech acknowledged that God was with Isaac and His blessing was upon Isaac wherever he went and this fact drove Abimelech to come to Isaac and ask for a peace treaty. How awesome is that?! God was able to use the manner in which Isaac lived his life, one of complete reliance on the Lord's provision, to change the hearts and minds of other people. We are a blessed people! Are we living lives that reflect that truth? Do other people see God's blessing on our lives? Tough questions to ponder!
Remember, our Lord is faithful to His promises and when opposition comes – keep digging wells my friends because He is with you!
May God bless you and keep you this week!
In Christ,
Patrick Ransom