We all have bad days here and there. But every once in a while, tragedy may strike.
It may be in a loss of income, a broken relationship, or the death of a loved one. It can be so bad it causes us to question whether God is with us or not. Is the Christian life really what I had expected it to be?
I always turn to God’s Word at times like those, and there I find such encouragement. I am truly not alone, and I realize all of God’s saints had troubles and questions similar to mine.
A perfect example of hardship can be found in the life of Abraham. God told Abraham that if he followed Him to a particular land, he would birth a great nation. So he packed up and followed the Lord to a place called Bethel, and there God told Him this was the land his descendants would inherit—the land of Canaan.
The first problem Abraham encountered was a famine in the land God had promised to him. Famine? Really? It was so bad Abraham had to leave the promised land and go to Egypt for food. God had not called Abraham to an easy land or life but to a land in which Abraham would have to depend upon God.
His grandson, Jacob, would also face a severe famine, and he, too, would have to go to Egypt for food. God was not caught by surprise by the famine. In fact, he had seen it coming some 20 years earlier and placed Joseph in a position of authority in Egypt to save Jacob and his family lineage, and thereby God’s plans and purposes for them.
Life in the land can be seen as a foreshadowing of our life in Christ. Many wonderful things are promised to us in that land. But we often encounter difficulties.
Don’t be dismayed. Know that God has provided all you need, and He will complete and perfect that which He began in you.
For more encouragement from God’s Word, join me on our Walk Thru the Bible series. Join me today by downloading our Bible Reading Plan, and get started reading right away! Invite your friends and family to join us! I can’t wait to Walk Thru the Bible with you! {eoa}
Dr. Susan Michael is USA Director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem and host of the Out of Zion podcast.
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