Faith in the Famine
Let me tell you the beginning of the story: Isaac is the main character
“There was a famine in the land…” – Gen 26:1
The circumstances were not favorable for sowing or reaping
Let me tell you the end of the story:
Genesis 26:12–13
Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. 13 The man began to prosper,
and continued prospering until he became very prosperous.
I want you to look at
1. Where he sowed
2. When he sowed
3. What he reaped
And when we’re finished, I want you to understand
1. Why he sowed
2. Why he reaped what he did
Because of the famine, Isaac went to Gerar, headed to Egypt
Looking for land that could sustain his family & provide grazing for his herds
But the Lord told him, “Stay in Gerar”
Genesis 26:3–5
Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.
We see 2 forces at work: Faith & Grace
· By faith, Isaac obeyed God and stayed
· By grace, Isaac received the 100-fold blessing
“I thought it was by ‘sowing’”
The conditions of the famine would not produce 100-fold
He didn’t have better seed or a better agricultural technique
It was because of Isaac’s faith and God’s grace
1. God gives you gifts that you don’t deserve, because of who you are,
not because of what you’ve done
2. Grace is the Presence of God in your life – “I will be with you”
God promised to bless Isaac based on who he was, not because of what he did
Who was he? – the seed of Abraham
Who are you?
Galatians 3:29
If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
So, Isaac stayed in that land and sowed
But you cannot miss “When” he sowed – “in the same year” (26:12)
What year? The year of famine
· Not when the famine ended
· Not when the economy improved
That very year of the famine
The year everybody else called famine, Isaac would call harvest
The year that looked like scarcity became the year of Isaac's prosperity
Because Isaac had the faith to obey God, look at his results –––
He reaped a 100-fold
But there’s something critical in the middle of the story: vs 6-11
Right between the beginning of the story, when he obeyed & stayed in Gerar
And the end of the story, where he sowed & reaped 100-fold
Isaac gives in to fear instead of faith ––– & acts in his flesh
In his fear, he becomes deceitful & lies
He says that his wife is his sister, to protect himself – yet exposing her
Why should Isaac be blessed? –– He has 3 things working against him
1. The famine said: “You can't prosper here”
2. His fear said: “You aren't safe here”
3. His failure said: “You don't deserve to prosper here”
But God's grace said: “I am with you, and I will bless you.”
Isaac's failure did not cause God to abandon His grace
Grace does not excuse the lie—but neither does the lie nullify God's grace
I wanted you to see the middle of the story so you would know…
Isaac wasn’t blessed because he behaved perfectly
The Lord blessed Isaac because of His grace
Grace does not eliminate obedience
I don't want you to think I’m saying:
“If I'm God's child, and I carry the grace of God, I can do what I want”
Obedience is still necessary
· Isaac had to have Obedience to stay
especially when it made sense to leave, like Abram had done
· He had to have Faith to sow – when the land was not cooperating
· God supplied the Grace to receive the 100-fold harvest
Grace: God gives us what we do not deserve “because of who you are, not because of what you've done.”
Famine was around him
Fear was on him
Failure was in him
But the favor of God was over him
Neither the circumstance around him
nor the imperfection within him
was greater than the Grace over him.
This is why famine couldn't stop him & failure couldn't disqualify him
He was living in the Grace of God
Grace doesn't mean I did everything right
Grace means God remains faithful – even when I’m not
2 Timothy 2:13
If we are faithless, He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.
Just like in the days of Isaac, our land is experiencing famine
We are feeling the effect individually & corporately as a church
But like Isaac, we carry the grace of God
The Lord is telling us today that we cannot let the famine affect our faith
Because it’s going to take faith to be obedient to Him in these unique times
Isaac carried the favor of God
But what if he didn’t have the faith to sow?
Would he have gotten the 100-fold harvest –– and harvest?
God doesn't need to change your season to bless you
But He does need your faith
So, while you’re waiting for the famine to end
God is waiting for you to sow
The question isn't, “Is this a good year to sow?”
The question is, “Did God tell me to sow?”
Because faith doesn't take its instructions from the famine
It takes its instructions from God
Stop asking your circumstances for permission to believe God
Let’s conclude by making sure we understand:
1. My circumstances don’t determine my obedience
Isaac could have reasoned: “There is no harvest here”
2. My faith is in what God says
“There was a famine…” — but God said, “I will be with you & bless you.”
3. I am blessed because of who I am
Because I am in Christ, I am Abraham's seed, and an heir to the promise
4. My failure does not erase God's grace
Isaac lied, but God did not abandon him
Grace does not excuse your failure
but your failure does not nullify God's grace
Psalm 89:30–34
If My children mess up, then I will chasten them
But My love won’t stop, My faithfulness won’t fail, My promises won’t break
And I will not change one word that has gone out of My mouth.
Your circumstances don't determine what God can do for you,
and your failures don't cancel who God says you are