I heard these words from the Lord recently:
"Look to Me, and keep looking to Me! Dwell in Me and My land. For My land is My Word. My land is where you receive your feeding. My land is where you have your spiritual food. And I will begin to show you the keys to your blessings in a time of famine."
Genesis 26 is the key chapter here. There was a famine those days (in Isaac's time), and in Genesis 26:2-3, the Lord appeared to Isaac 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..."
What does 'Egypt' mean in this context? It is 'mitsrayim' in Hebrew, from the word 'matsowr', which means '(to put a) limit, bondage, besieged, or distress'. 'Egypt' here therefore means 'the way of the world (that has a limit)'.
How about the meaning of 'dwell in this land'? The word 'dwell' here is 'shakan' in Hebrew, which means 'to continue, to abide, to remain, to stay on, to rest in', and the word 'land' here is symbolic of 'the Word of God'. As a matter of fact, you generally eat of the produce of the land you are in! For example, if your land (or country) grows lots of rice, you probably would be taking in more rice in your diet. And if your land (or country) grows lots of barley, you probably would be taking in more barley in your diet. In other words, the land you are in is where you receive your feeding. The same it is with spiritual food! Your land is the Word of God! Eat therefore of the 'produce' of your 'land'!
Therefore, to 'dwell in this land' is a 'picture' of you continuing, abiding, remaining, staying on, and resting in the Word of God!
In short, the way of the world may suffer, but the way of the Word will prosper! Therefore, never put a limit on God (and what He can do for you) this year! As much as you are willing (for Him to use you), He is willing!
Genesis 26:12-14 then says, '... Isaac then sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man (Isaac) began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him'.
The word 'sowed' here is 'zara' in Hebrew, which means 'to plant, to disseminate, to spread, to scatter'. Proverbs 11:24-25 confirms the above verses, saying, 'There is one who scatters, yet increases more, and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself'.
Indeed, this is a time to dedicate yourselves to the Lord for Him to use, in every way that He wants to use you. Keep 'planting', keep 'disseminating', keep 'spreading', and keep 'scattering'!
As you sow your 'seed', be it financially (to ministries that the Lord has put in your heart to sow), or your energy, talent, spiritual gifts, or time (into what the Lord has put in your heart to do), watch how He's going to multiply it, even in miraculous ways. Just look at Simon Peter in Luke 5:1-7. As he allowed Jesus to use his boat, that very same boat that caught nothing became something! Simon Peter was so blessed with the bumper harvest of fish that he had to call out for other boats to come and help out! Believe the same it is going to be with you! As you give your 'boat' to the Lord for Him to use, watch how He's going to bless that 'boat'!
Note: Your 'boat' here speaks of 'what you have in your hands'.
Let's continue with Genesis 26:16-18 now. Here, Isaac was so blessed of the Lord that the Philistines envied him and even felt threatened by him! Abimelech (king of the Philistines) then said to Isaac, "Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we." Isaac did, but because he was so blessed of the Lord, wherever he went, blessings also followed him! Genesis 26:19 says, 'Also Isaac's servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there'.
Note: In the context of an agricultural society those days, finding a well of running water was indeed a great blessing!
People of God, whatever 'famine' you may be going through at the moment (whether in your career, business, or in ministry), keep looking to Him and keep dwelling in His 'land'! Know that He wants to bless you and He wants to visit you this year! If God did it for Isaac that year, He can also do the same for you this year! Believe and receive by faith!
One important key to remember this year is 'to stay away from quarrels and contention', and 'don't get distracted by any enmity, opposition, or accusation'. Focus instead on where God wants you to be, and what God wants you to do. Keep on looking to Him and His well of running water (i.e. His blessings) for you. Know that He will surely have a place for you.
Here's what Genesis 26:20-22 say, 'But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, "The water is ours." So he (Isaac) called the name of the well Esek (meaning 'quarrel, contention') because they quarreled with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he (Isaac) called its name Sitnah (meaning 'enmity, opposition, accusation'). And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he (Isaac) called its name Rehoboth (meaning 'spacious, lots of room, broad place'), because he said, "For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."'
The Lord then appeared to Isaac and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham's sake." (Genesis 26:24)
Indeed, He is your I AM God, a very present help in time of your need. In Revelation 1:8, He says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." Notice 'who is' comes first here, and then only 'who was' and 'who is to come'? The Lord wants to show you that He is first and foremost the 'who is' God, the very present God to you! Not past, not future, but present and now here for you!
Last but not least, the one thing about being blessed of the Lord is that people will start to notice it! Why? Because the blessing of the Lord is tangible and is so real!
Here's what Genesis 26:26-29 say, 'Then Abimelech (king of the Philistines) came to Isaac from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. And Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?" But they said, "We have certainly seen that the Lord is with you. So we said, 'Let there now be an oath between us; and let us make a covenant with you, that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord'."'
In summary, here are the keys to prospering in a time of famine:
1. Be where God wants you to be.
2. Dwell where God wants you to dwell.
3. Sow 'seeds', be it financially or in other ways.
4. Believe blessings will follow you wherever you go.
5. Stay away from quarrels and contention.
6. Focus not on the enemy, but on what God wants you to do.
7. Know that the Lord will surely have a place for you.
8. Fear not, because He is present and He is here with you.
My prayer for you this year is wherever you 'dig', there will be wells of water (i.e. blessings), and people will see that you too are the blessed of the Lord, to the glory of God, just as Isaac was those days. In Jesus' name. Amen.
