“Now there was a famine in the land besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelek, king of the Philistines.
The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Dwell in the land of which I shall tell you.””
– Genesis 26:1-2
Genesis 26:1-2 is a great picture of God’s kind providence in the way he leads and guides our lives. I think about Isaac in this situation. There’s famine in the land. He’s wondering where do I go? What do I do to provide for my family? God comes to him and says, “Here’s where you don’t go. Don’t go down to Egypt. Dwell in the land of which I shall tell you.” Then the verses that follow after that, he just reiterates promise after promise that God’s going to bless Isaac as Isaac trusts in him. Just like Abraham trusted in God and obeyed his voice, his commandments.
Genesis 26:1-2 Reminds Us God Knows What Is Best For Us
He’s calling Isaac to do the same thing. God is promising to Isaac, I will lead and guide and direct your lives. I think this is a living illustration of Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Think about your life.
God knows what is best for you and He will never lead you astray.
You’re obviously not in the exact same situation that Isaac was in, but the same thing that we’re seeing here is true in your life right now. If you’re a follower of Christ, you know you have a God over you who knows what is best for you. For your family, for your life, for your future. He knows where you need to be. He knows when you need to go where. He’s promised blessing for you in all kinds of ways as you walk in obedience to him. So, my encouragement for you based on Genesis 26:1-2 is to constantly look to God.
Genesis 26:1-2 Reminds Us God Is Our Counselor
Just like Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him.” Just keep focused on him. Especially I think there’s probably people who are listening to this right now who are going through some decision making processes in your life. You’re trying to decide what to do here or there in your life, in your family, in your work. Maybe small decisions, maybe huge decisions. Isn’t it good to know that the God of the universe who knows everything about the future is your counselor? The God of the universe who knows what is best for you, he is your guide. So, look to him and he will lead you. He promises to lead you. He will make your paths straight.
This Verse Leads Us To Pray For Help In Trusting God
So, we pray. Oh God, amidst all kinds of decisions that all of us will make today, small decisions and I’m just imagining many people listening to this making big decisions in their lives. God, we seek you. We seek you right now with all our heart. We want to hear from you. And we want to do whatever you are leading us to do.
We want to walk in step with your spirit. Help us to obey you. Guide and direct our lives we pray. God, I pray for those who are making big decisions right now that you would just give them discernment to know how your spirit is leading according to your word in their lives. God, we trust you with our future. We trust you with our present today.
Please guide our steps. Where we need to be when. What decisions we need to make at what points. God, you are our guide. We need you. You are our counselor. We want to hear from you. You are our Lord. We want to follow you. We want to obey you. So, we say together today as we pray we trust in you with all our heart. Help us not to lean on our own understanding in all of our ways. Today, all day long help us to acknowledge you. Help us to abide in you. To stay focused on you and we trust that as we do, you will make our paths straight. In Jesus name we pray, amen.
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David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
