February 28, 2009

When You Think You Stand, Take Heed Lest Ye Fall

Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine [was] severe in the land. And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Indeed I know that you [are] a woman of beautiful countenance. "Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This [is] his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. "Please say you [are] my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you." So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she [was] very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. And Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What [is] this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she [was] your wife? "Why did you say, ‘She [is] my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take [her] and go your way." So Pharaoh commanded [his] men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had. (Genesis 12:10-20 NKJV)

The Bible records for us the good and the bad. Here Abram has a terrible stumble of faith. The fear of man consumed his heart and he risks the promise to save his own life. Not only does he risk the promise, but he also places his own wife in jeopardy.

The temptation is always whether to trust God or your own understanding. I am sure Abram was trembling with fear when he made this awful decision. There will be situations throughout your life that will push you abandon God. It could be the death of a loved one, or a situation at work that pushes your emotions to the point of panic.

Whatever it is that tries your faith, it is important to remember that God always keeps His promises. Had Abram thought about the situation he would have concluded that God would protect him and Sarai because of the promise. Ultimately God did protect him and Sarai through this poor decision. However, even though God in His sovereignty protected them through his lack of faith, this does not excuse his sinful behavior.

A good practice to implement in times of testing is to recount the promises of God. You can do this by reading the word. You might find it helpful to have a book that records those promises for you. This makes them more readily available to you. As with any resource, you need to make sure that it doesn’t pull verses out of context. However, as a tool, most of these books would be of some help as a guide. Of course there is no substitute for having the word of God hidden in your heart.

Remember that trials often come when you let your guard down. Therefore, take heed when you think you stand lest you fall. In other words, never let your guard down!