A Famine After

[S] Genesis 12:10 --
Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.

[O] Just prior to this situation God spoke to Abram that He will bless and multiply Abram and his family -- 2And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
3And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." -- however, he is faced with a famine and had to detour into Egypt.  God's covenant of blessings in my life does not equate to having a trouble-free life and even when struck with a crisis, I need to seek His guidance in the midst of it rather than just taking my own measures to mitigate the situation (in this case going to Egypt).

[A] Since joining a local church just over a year ago the church staff and I had been planning to start a coaching sessions for small group leaders.  The church was going through some internal changes + year-end scheduling challenges postponed the process a bit.  I need to check my heart once again to make sure that I am taking this step with a confirmation from His Spirit and understand that encountering a crisis or a famine is part of the course and continue to be on the path unless directed to go to Egypt.

[P] Dear Father, thank You for granting us to take part in this local church and blessed us to build relationships with many people in the last year.  We look forward to how You will use us in this community to share the insights and training You've instilled in us in last 25+ years.  May Your name be lifted up as we take part to share our blessings with others about church leadership.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Defining God's Vision in My Crisis

[S] 1 Samuel 25:28 --
28  "Please forgive the transgression of your maidservant; for the Lord will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil will not be found in you all your days.

[O] Abigail's wisdom is astounding here because not only she realized the crisis at hand but her prompt actions and the words she spoke to David was right on target by re-focusing David's mind on the greater purpose of God for him to calm himself to reassess his own heart's condition.  I don't believe this was a simple luck of her saying the right things at the right time but a reflection of her own life leading up to this point married to a "worthless man" (v. 25).  If anyone she would definitely be one of the right person to share about not losing the greater promise of God in her own crisis-stricken life living with Nabal.

[A] I know I will face a lot of crisis in my life; and at times I will respond emotionally like David, but Abigail's wise actions will help me to overcome those situations by re-focusing God's greater plan for my life.

[P] Dear Father, may Your greater plans come to fruition through me and my family's lives as we hold on to Your promises and letting go of less-significant crisis in our lives.  Grant us huge hearts to hold Your grand visions as we ask in Jesus' name.  Amen.