Have you ever asked yourself the question “am I in the right place?”. I think it will be true to say that not many of us have the following experience that Isaac had.
Then the LORD appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you;
Genesis 26:2
Isaac was wondering about moving because the situation where he was in was pretty severe.
As followers of Jesus we often consider are we in the right place. This may be concerning where we live as in Isaac’s situation or a job we are in because we know it’s so important to be in the right place.
Let me give you an example. William Wilberforce is without doubt one of the giants of British politics. He became an MP before he became a follower of Jesus. When he became a follower of Jesus he thought he had to give up his parliamentary seat as surely this was not the right place now he had a new life.
We are very thankful to John Newton (best known for writing Amazing Grace) for John persuaded Wilberforce to stay in politics and live out his faith there.
What great advice as history shows us William Wilberforce changed our country for the better bringing in many laws to help the poor and the marginalised. Yes, John knew black lives mattered and did something about it.
That would not have happened had he resigned his parliamentary seat.
Cliff Richard, I am told thought about leaving the pop world and was persuaded not to. What a great witness Cliff is to people about becoming a follower of Jesus.
So if you have just become a follower of Jesus or at this present time are thinking am I in the right place to talk to God. He will tell you as He did Isaac thousand of years ago.
God said not to go any further. Obedience would mean Isaac would experience the blessings of God.
What is true for Isaac is true for you. Yes life can get tough and problems are still going to be with us as they were for Isaac and William Wilberforce but they and we have the advantage of knowing when we are in the right place we shall receive the blessings of God.
Let me conclude with some wonderful verses from Genesis 26 taken from the message. Read them slowly and see the blessings of God.
They said, “We’ve realised that God is on your side. We’d like to make a deal between us a covenant that we maintain friendly relations. We haven’t bothered you in the past; we treated you kindly and let you leave us in peace. So—God’s blessing be with you!” Isaac laid out a feast and they ate and drank together. Early in the morning, they exchanged oaths. Then Isaac said goodbye and they parted as friends.
Later that same day, Isaac’s servants came to him with news about the well they had been digging, “We’ve struck water!” Isaac named the well Sheba (Oath), and that’s the name of the city, Beersheba (Oath-Well), to this day.
Stay safe and Blessed