(Gen 42:1 ERV) During the famine in Canaan, Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt. So he said to his sons, “Why are you sitting here doing nothing?
This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”, by continuing on with the story of Joseph. Today we will discuss Joseph’s family.
The famine spread quickly and soon starving people from all over the region were coming to Egypt for food. Because of the wisdom of God operating through Joseph, Egypt was the only nation with abundance in the middle of a universal famine. So where did this leave Jacob and his family? 20 years earlier we know that Jacob was flourishing and all that he touched prospered. We cannot assume that the departure of Joseph removed the blessing of Abraham from Jacob and his family. They were still blessed, but like everyone else, they were affected by the famine. It is interesting to note that Abraham had to deal with a famine, and he dealt with it by going down to Egypt. Abraham’s son, Isaac, had to deal with a famine. Isaac did something a little different. Isaac chose to sow seed in the middle of the famine and his seed miraculously produced a hundredfold harvest in the same year. It was now Isaac’s son Jacob’s turn to face a famine. Let’s see how he dealt with it.
Like his father and his grandfather, Jacob did not take it lying down. Some people simply gave up, they accepted the famine as their fate, and it led to their demise. Doing nothing in the middle of a famine is sure death. A famine is nothing more than a dry season. We all face dry seasons, but we should know that we don’t have to face them lying down. We can apply our faith to our famine and God can cause us to prosper, even when everyone else is starving.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. Faith is an ACTION word. Faith requires you to DO something. Jacob knew his God was bigger than the famine he was facing. So what did he do? He sought God for an answer. He wanted to know what to do. Our text (Gen 42:1) says that when he “learned” there was food in Egypt he was ready to DO something about it. We are not sure how he learned that there was food in Egypt; but the point is that he came into the knowledge of a possible answer to his problem. Many come into the knowledge of an answer to their problem, but they fail to do anything about it, because they are simply too lazy. His boys were clueless. They were sitting around looking at one another. Jacob snapped them out of the complacency and directed them to action. He said, (v.2) “I’ve heard that there is food in Egypt. Go down there and buy some so that we can survive and not starve to death.”
2. You have a say in how you face your famine (dry season). Some did nothing and starved to death. God is not going to make you put your faith in action. God is not going to force you to be blessed. God will help you get the information, and He is ready to bless the works of your hands, but you have to give God something to bless. You have to DO SOMETHING with the information He blesses you to know.
a) Don’t accept your state as your fate. Use your faith to overcome your famine.
b) God has the grace to see you through whatever you are facing. But while He has the grace, He is looking for you to use your faith. Your faith accesses God’s grace for the supernatural.
3. Your outlook will influence your outcome. Jacob was looking for an answer. He had a Godly expectation that this famine would not be his end. He knew his state was not his fate. Jacob refused to roll over and die. His determination and his reliance on God helped him come into his breakthrough.
a) When you walk with God you should never see any situation as too hard, any opposition as too strong, or any problem as too big!
b) There is nothing too hard for God. God is a God of NO LIMITS. When you rely on His grace and you trust in His power, the impossible becomes possible for you!
4. God can use your leftovers. You always have something left. Jacob did not have food, but he had money. So he sent his boys to use the money (what they had) to get food (what they wanted).
a) You may be facing a major challenge this morning and you might feel frustrated as you think about what you DON’T have. But how about focusing on what you DO have? What do you have left?
b) God can use your leftovers to get you out of your situation. Don’t spend all your time focusing on what you don’t have. If you make up your mind to use what you have — what you have left — God can use what you have to help you get what you want!
c) You always have something left. It might seem small to you, but God can use it for His glory. Jesus took two sardines and five biscuits and fed over 5,000. The widow at Zarephath only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. Once Elijah arrived on the scene God took what she had left and multiplied it to feed the woman, her family, and Elijah for weeks. What may not look like much to you can become more-than-enough in the hands of God. Never give up. Give God what you have left and watch what he does with your leftovers!
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my requirement to live by faith. You operate by grace and there is nothing You cannot do. There is nothing too hard for You. You are a God of NO LIMITS and I have grown to the point where I see Your power as truly LIMITLESS. But while Your LIMITLESS power is available to me by Your unearned grace, I know You expect me to use my faith to access it. So I declare by faith that I apply my faith to my famine. I refuse to roll over and die. I will not sit by and allow my family to be negatively impacted by a dry season. The season might be dry for the world, and the economy might even remain in a global recession, but that does not mean that I have to accept it. As for me and my household, we rely on You Lord! I seek Your wisdom and You give me insight, revelation, knowledge and understanding. As You reveal to me what I should do, I declare by faith that I will leap out into action. Faith is an action word and I act by faith towards my expected end. I keep the proper perspective, I use what I have, I give You what I have left, and I expect to come out victorious! Not by my might, but by Your power. Not because I will earn it, but only because of Your grace! I apply my faith to my famine! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
