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Laughing in the
Face of Famine
Answers with Bayless Conley
“You shall laugh at destruction and famine.” - Job 5:22
When
most people think of the word famine, they think of what the Bible calls a “famine
of bread.”
That’s
a famine caused by a scarcity of rain, which results in a meager production of
crops and, therefore, food.
But
today, I want to talk to you about other types of famine… famines that could be
taking place in your own heart and life.
Perhaps
you’re experiencing a kind of famine that Amos 8:11 calls a “famine
of… hearing the words of the Lord.”
Maybe
it’s been a long time since you’ve heard the Holy Spirit whisper to your heart.
It
could be today that you’re experiencing a famine of love in your marriage.
Perhaps
you’ve gotten to the point in your marriage where you’re just going through the
motions.
There’s
no spark, there’s no true intimacy, and there truly is a famine of love.
Perhaps
you’re experiencing a famine of friendship.
Or you
could be experiencing a famine of peace, as it’s been a long time since you’ve
truly had a season where God’s peace has been a tangible presence in your life.
Regardless
of what kind of famine you may be experiencing today, did you know that God
isn’t surprised by what you’re going through?
Your
present famine, whatever kind it might be, has not caught God off guard. He
knows about the lack in your life… and He cares.
And
what’s more, just because you’re experiencing a famine doesn’t mean that God is
mad at you or that He doesn’t love you.
Romans 8:35 says, “Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine (emphasis added), or nakedness, or peril, or
sword?”
Verse 37 goes on to say, “Yet
in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
And I
will add, “and continues to love us”!
Plenty
of good men and good women throughout the Scriptures went through times of
famine.
Just
because there is a famine in some area of your life is no sign that God is
displeased with you.
So
you need to throw away the thought that God is angry with you or that somehow
He has withdrawn His love.
Friend,
no, He has not!
In
fact, here are some famine promises for you today:
• Psalm 33:18-19 – “Behold,
the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy,
to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.”
Your
famine may have caused you to feel like you’re going to die, but you won’t.
God
promises to keep you alive in famine. That’s a good promise, but it gets
better!
• Psalm 37:18-19 – “The
LORD knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever.
They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they
shall be satisfied.”
So
not only does God promise to keep you alive during times of famine, He says
He’ll even satisfy you during times of famine.
And
it gets better still!
• Job 5:22 – “You
shall laugh at destruction and famine.”
So we go from a promise of God saying, “I’ll keep you alive
in famine,” to “I’ll satisfy you in famine,” to where you have such
a deep confidence in God that you can look at your famine and laugh and say, “You
think you’re going to have the upper hand?
No, God is going to take care of me. Mr. Famine, I can laugh at
you!”
So
today, are you experiencing a famine of hearing the words of God… a famine of
love in your marriage… a famine of friendship… a famine of peace… or another
kind of famine?
If so,
remember that God isn’t surprised by what you’re going through.
And in
His Word, He promises to sustain you, satisfy you, and even give you such a
deep confidence that you can laugh in the face of the famine you may be facing.
I
invite you to watch my message, What the Bible Says About
Expectation. In it, you will learn to hold
fast to your earnest expectation so you can receive all that God has in store
for you.
Answers with Bayless Conley
My wife Janet and I are
pastors of Cottonwood Church, a thriving church located in Orange County,
California. We truly believe in the concept of local church as the center of
Christian community.
There is an old saying that
goes, “The light that shines the farthest shines the brightest at home.” We are
able to reach the world through our broadcast because we have a strong home
base. This allows us to shine the light of the Gospel even farther and in a
more powerful way.
https://baylessconley.tv/laughing-in-the-face-of-famine/
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