Connection Questions

What to do in the Time of Famine

February 18, 2018


Genesis 26:1-14



It was a time of famine, and God said, “Stay here.” No rain. Death and disease were everywhere. It was a severe time of famine. Naomi was in Bethlehem (the house of bread) and there was a famine. She lost nearly everything and everyone, except for Ruth. It is possible to be in the right place and still go through a famine. Our tendency is to run and go somewhere else. But there are times when God says stay right where you are, even when there is a famine all around you. You have to learn to value of what God has given you.


Key Points:

  1. Don’t run. When the house of bread goes breadless, you need to stay right where you are until the bread comes back.
  2. Don’t follow the crowd or the latest trend. It will take more for you to leave than to stay and wait. The eyes of a fool are always on the ends of the earth, but when you go there, you are there…and your problems stay with you.








  1. When you run, you will lose things you will never get back. You lose the hundred-fold blessing when you don’t sow during the time of famine.






  1. When you stay and take inventory, you will learn to appreciate what you have. Appreciate the relationships and the possessions you have.
  2. If there was bread before, there will be bread again. But when you leave prematurely you miss out on the new bread that is coming.
  3. Sometimes the famine is a test. Can you bless God in the time of famine like you did in the time of plenty? Can you sow and pray and read your Bible in a time of spiritual famine, or only in times of plenty?






  1. There always appears to be plenty in the world. But God watches what we do during times of famine. Do you stay or do you bail?
  2. God uses less-than-perfect times to prove us and grow us. When others are unkind to you, will you stay faithful? When you feel all alone, will you still worship and dig in, or will your eyes go to the ends of the earth.
  3. Giving to the Lord is not an option or a suggestion. Sow into your church. Sow even in a time of famine.
  4. You will find things you never knew you had. There will always be an unusual harvest when you sow during a famine.





Final Thoughts:

It’s the hard places that lead to the high places. God does not look for perfect places for you. He works in surprising places. Don’t escape, don’t quit, don’t leave. Commit to staying right where you are. You are on the right track. The places are not your source. God is your source. Stay where you are planted. It is the greater challenge to stay and see what God has for you right where you are planted…even during a famine. But it is also the greater reward. Sow in your land of famine, God is a God that will bless you here and in the life to come. The bread will ALWAYS come back to Bethlehem and your God will bless you 100 times more than what you are! Believe it! Plant. Sow. Believe!

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