Reaping a Harvest in the Midst of Famine

[bluidkiti]

Reaping a Harvest in the Midst of Famine by Joel Osteen

In Genesis 26, scripture talks about a time when there was a great famine in the land. There had been a drought for many years, and the people were struggling to survive. God told Isaac to take a step of faith and plant his crops anyway. It didn't make sense. There was no way to water the crops. It looked like it would be a waste of time. Isaac could have said, "God, have You seen the conditions lately? Have You checked the weather report? Do You realize it hasn't rained in years? Nothing is going to grow." Isaac could have looked at things in the natural and talked himself right out of it, but instead, Isaac had a bold obedience. Scripture says, "In the midst of the famine, he sowed a seed in the land."

I can imagine his friends saying, "Isaac, what in the world are you doing? Do you realize nothing is going to grow in a drought?" But Isaac didn't get discouraged. He didn't listen to the naysayers; he just kept planting. What was he doing? He was sowing a radical seed. What happened? He reaped a radical harvest! The scripture says, "In the same year, in the famine, he received a 100-fold return."

Now, Isaac could have reasoned things out and held onto those seeds for years waiting for the conditions to be perfect, but nothing would have happened. Isaac understood that the power was not in the seed, the power was in the obedience. When he obeyed, that's when the miracle happen. The conditions don't have to be perfect. The economy doesn't have to be booming for you to be blessed. You don't have to have the most education, the most talent, or live in a certain neighborhood. All the odds can be against you, but when God asks you to do something and you don't argue or make excuses, you just do it, that's when miracles happen.

Like Isaac, have the attitude that says, "God, I don't understand it, but I'm going to sow a seed anyway." That's when you'll see a harvest in the midst of the famine. You'll be promoted even though you weren't the most qualified. You'll see dreams come to pass even though the odds were against you. God is looking for people who will have this bold obedience. He's looking for people who will dare to sow a radical seed of faith!

"Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him." (Genesis 26:12, NIV)