Watch What you Say on an Empty Stomach

Watch What you Say on an Empty Stomach

Be careful when your stomach says it’s hungry.

Your choice to find food may lead to a bigger stomach ache.

That was the case for Abram in today’s Devotional. 

 

God had promised Abram that He would bless him.

God had told Abram that he would become a great nation.

We, too, have received the Blessing of Abram.

Galatians 3:14 NIV

“He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham

might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,

so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”

And God promised to make us a Great Nation.

1 Peter 2:9 NIV

 “But you are a chosen people,

a royal priesthood, a holy nation,

a people belonging to God..”

Now along the way to these promises,

there came a severe famine.

They say,

 “A way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

Abram is being tested.

Abram heads to Egypt,

which happens to be the opposite direction

of his home land, that God told him to leave.

So far - so good!  Until he gets to Egypt.

Now Abram’s wife is “almost” as beautiful as mine.

Abram does the unthinkable and

asks Sarai to say she is his sister.

Now, I would never do a thing like that 

even if Sandy wouldn’t kill me!

They must have been very hungry

and insecure of God’s Words of blessing

to go through with this plan.

Can you image how much sleep Abram got that first night

that Sarai stayed in Pharaoh’s palace?

Abram went from not eating

because there was no food,

to not eating because he 

was sick to his stomach

with anxiety.

Abram had to be questioning God’s promise.

Did I hear God?

Did I misunderstand?

Is the promise waiting in heaven?

This was no easy test for Abram.

Then God shows up!

Pharaoh gets sick.

But what is so amazing is when 

Pharaoh seeks to find out why he is sick,

he realizes it’s because of Abram and Sarai.

God caused everything to work out

for Abram and Sarai’s good.

The same promises given to Abram

are given to you and I!

So the next time you can’t eat because of anxiety,

remember how God worked everything out for Abram and Sarai.

(I can’t make any guaranties that your wife

will forgive you if you ask her to say she is your sister!)

Scripture Reading

Genesis 12 NIV

12:1 The LORD had said to Abram,

"Leave your country,

your people and your father's household

and go to the land I will show you.

2 "I will make you into a great nation

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you."

4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him;

and Lot went with him.

Abram was seventy-five years old

when he set out from Haran.

5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot,

all the possessions they had accumulated

and the people they had acquired in Haran,

and they set out for the land of Canaan,

and they arrived there.

6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site

of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem.

At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said,

"To your offspring I will give this land."

So he built an altar there to the LORD,

who had appeared to him.

8 From there he went on toward the hills

east of Bethel and pitched his tent,

with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east.

There he built an altar to the LORD

and called on the name of the LORD.

9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.

10 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.

11 As he was about to enter Egypt,

he said to his wife Sarai,

"I know what a beautiful woman you are.

12 When the Egyptians see you,

they will say, 'This is his wife.'

Then they will kill me but will let you live.

13 Say you are my sister,

so that I will be treated well for your sake

and my life will be spared because of you."

14 When Abram came to Egypt,

the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman.

15 And when Pharaoh's officials saw her,

they praised her to Pharaoh,

and she was taken into his palace.

16 He treated Abram well for her sake,

and Abram acquired sheep and cattle,

male and female donkeys,

menservants and maidservants,

and camels.

17 But the LORD inflicted serious diseases

on Pharaoh and his household

because of Abram's wife Sarai.

18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram.

"What have you done to me?" he said.

"Why didn't you tell me she was your wife?

19 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!"

20 Then Pharaoh gave orders

about Abram to his men,

and they sent him on his way,

with his wife

and everything he had.