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.
We in the West have only experienced famine through images on TV of distant lands of unknown people. Even during the dustbowl years people still moved and abandoned their dreams to survive. But we have not walked through famine personally. But in Abram’s part of the world, famine was commonplace. Desert climates are not known for consistent rainfall. And yet predictable rainfall is exactly what is needed in order to have a harvest. They have plenty of sunshine. They just lack the rain at the right time. If the rains fail to come, the crop fails to grow and mature. Abram has moved on foot 1100 miles to Canaan, but a famine happens, so he moves 300 more miles south, hoping to find food there. He moves to Egypt and Egypt has the Nile which provides a consistent source of water. Abram had moved for a land where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers provided consistent water. But Canaan does not have that same blessing. So move he does. Circumstances of life can become part of God’s will. As the story unfolds God’s will becomes evident, even when Abram shows a lack of faith in the process. Don’t dismiss circumstances as something outside of God’s will. Sometimes God uses circumstances to communicate part of His will. The circumstance can’t be leading contrary to His will as expressed in Scripture. We can’t claim that God brought someone in our life so that we could commit adultery. We can’t claim that God put the doughnut shop or the bar in our path because He wants us to indulge. But an unexpected job opportunity might be God using circumstances. He might want to see if you will obey your commitment to your family and church body. He might be opening up new ministry opportunities at the new job. You see there is no template we can place on these circumstances. We must be in constant contact with the Lord in order to hear the gentle whisper of His will. Are you hearing whispers?
The Arnold Journey 