Sometimes, God will orchestrate famine experiences for us. My brother, my sister; this famine may take the form of a financial crisis, when there is more needs than money coming in. It may take the form of a physical famine where health and well being become elusive. It may be a spiritual famine when the heavens seems closed and the Lord seems very far away. You see, God’s intention during those times is not to drive you away from Him, but it is to draw you nearer to Him. He may be trying to correct you because you have been stubbornly running away from Him or not listening to His guidance: “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent (Revelation 3:19).Sometimes, He uses famine to perfect us: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Yet the way we react to our cfamine experience determines whether it becomes a time of blessing in our lives or a time of despair.
Unfortunately, this is a scene repeated countless times in the family of God: a person proclaims to be a “Christian”, which means to be “Christlike”. Yet, when a famine comes in their life, they run out away from God. Maybe things didn’t go their way at church; maybe a trial arose in their life and they were blindsided by it; maybe they faced some financial crisis and placed God after their finances, so it’s not the time of sharing; maybe they just come to love the world more than they love the Lord, etc…
My friend, whatever the reason we choose to walk out of the Promised Land of God’s blessing and to head off into the world to live life on our own terms, there is a word for that kind of behaviour: backsliding and unfaithfulness! Sadly, many believers are in that shape than are willing to admit it. When a believer walks away from the things of the Lord, he or she cannot possibly serve the Lord as they should. Yes, there is no way to be right with the Lord as long as you are separated from the things of God! When His house, His word, His work, His worship and His will are not priorities in your life, it doesn’t matter what your mouth says, your life says that you are away from the Lord! The believer who walks away from the things of the Lord is saying, ‘God wasn’t as good to me as I thought He should be. He isn’t worthy of my love and devotion, so I would better live my life as best as I know’. But what do we know really? Nothing, for any knowledge comes from God! True, times of famine can drive you to make a choice that will inevitably lead you downward. So, instead, turn or return to the Lord, the only choice that leads from glory to glory. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.