Get up from the Place You Have Fallen

After a dramatic episode involving God plaguing Pharaoh’s house on account of Abram’s wife, Sarai, Abram and Sarai were basically kicked out of the land of Egypt.

Prior to this taking place, God had called Abram from his own country and promised to give him descendants who would inherit the land of Canaan. Once there, Abram pitched his tent between Bethel and Ai, built an altar to the Lord, and called on His name (Gen 12:8). But when a severe famine hit the land, in a moment of weakness, Abram left God’s promises behind and went down to Egypt. If God had not intervened by sending plagues upon Pharaoh’s house, Abram would have lost his wife Sarai and the hope of having descendants through her—for he had lied about Sarai being his sister.

The Bible records Abram’s actions shortly after he was sent out of Egypt: “And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord” (Gen 13:3-4).

It is interesting to note how the Bible specifies that Abram returned to the place where he had been at the beginning, where he had built an altar to the Lord and called on His name at first. It seems that things had come full circle, and after a long tumultuous journey, Abram was back to square one.

This may be the case for some of us. After a long tumultuous journey, weary and tired, we find ourselves back to where we started.

God may have originally revealed His will for us and called us, or brought us to a place where He could bless us. All we had to do was wait there. Sometimes things aren’t fully ready or lined up yet, and the difficulties that arise cause us to fear and doubt God’s promises, but the Lord’s intent for us remains the same: He wants to bless us.

In moments of weakness, we may lose sight of or second-guess God’s greater and more enduring will, similar to how Abram left behind God’s promises. When things aren’t working out, we may try to leave and find something else to appease our suffering, just as Abram left for Egypt in the midst of famine to escape his hunger. But ultimately, if we want to inherit God’s blessings, we will find ourselves again at the place where our faith has fallen, to pick it up once more and wait for the Lord.

In order to inherit God’s blessings, we must remain and endure. If our faith has fallen, let us return to the will of God, to where He led us at first so we can rise again in faith. For no trial has come upon us except what is common to man, and our God, our heavenly Father, is forever faithful. He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle, but with every trial will also make the way of escape, that we may bear it (1 Cor 10:13).

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