Today's Devotional

In Genesis 12:10, we read the account of Abram leaving the land of Canaan and going down to Egypt:

“And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.”

God had told Abram to enter the land of Canaan. The reason God gave this command was because He had a plan to save all people in the world through Jesus Christ. If God had no way to rescue mankind from their sinful state, He would have abandoned this world and destroyed it. But God loved this world where sinful people lived. He did not destroy it because there was a way to save sinners—by sending His Son, Jesus Christ.

This is why no one should ever take their own life. As long as we are alive on this earth, God is giving us an opportunity to receive salvation. God allows people to remain on this earth because anyone can still be saved. Many people do not understand this precious purpose of God, so they spend their time on empty things and give no attention to their souls.

God established a great plan to save humanity by sending Jesus Christ. To carry out this plan in the land of Canaan, God sent Abram there. God sending Abram to Canaan had two meanings. First, God intended to accomplish His plan of salvation in that land. Second, God planned to give Abram a son, and through his descendants, Christ would be born to bring salvation to all mankind.

Following God’s promise, Abram entered the land of Canaan. However, the Canaanites were already living there. And as today’s passage says, a famine came upon the land. Abram thought that if he stayed in Canaan, he might starve to death. In order to survive and obtain food, he went down to Egypt.

As Abram was on his way to Egypt, he realized that his wife Sarai was very beautiful. He feared that the Egyptians might kill him in order to take her. So he said to his wife, “Do not say that you are my wife. Say that you are my sister. Then even if the Egyptians take you, they will not kill me, and I will live.”

The Gospel of Matthew begins with these words:

“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1)

Abraham’s name appears first. Why is that? It is because to be included in the genealogy of Jesus Christ, one must have faith like Abraham. Whenever God speaks about faith, He always brings up Abraham, the father of faith. If you read Hebrews 11, often called the chapter of faith, you will see that Abraham is prominently mentioned. God never leaves Abraham out when speaking about faith.

But did Abraham have this kind of faith from the beginning? No, he did not. Abraham was not a man of perfect faith from the start.

For God’s promise to be fulfilled, Abraham could not die. If Abraham died, how could God’s promise be accomplished? Yet Abraham did not understand that God’s plan must surely be fulfilled. If he had believed that God would accomplish His will, no matter how difficult the situation, he would have thought, “I will not die. I must have a son.” If Abraham had such faith, he would not have resorted to human methods out of fear for his life.

Although Abraham seemed to believe God’s promise, when famine struck the land, he went down to Egypt where there was food, worrying, “What if I die?” Because Christ had to be born from Abraham’s descendants, even if Abraham did not try to have a child, God would still ensure that he had one. God would have protected him without Abraham worrying about his life. But Abraham lacked that faith.

Satan threatened Abraham with fear for his life in order to make him stumble in faith. Instead of resting in God’s promise, Abraham became anxious, fearful, and worried, and eventually resorted to human reasoning. This does not happen only to Abraham. It happens to us as well. Satan often deceives us in the same way. When we feel threatened or face difficulties, instead of looking at God’s promise, we fall into fear and worry, failing to trust His word.

That is why God repeatedly assures us by saying, “I establish my covenant,” “Verily, verily, I say unto you,” and “My words shall not pass away.” Even so, when circumstances become difficult, we often turn away from His promises and become consumed by fear and anxiety. From there, human solutions arise, and the result is suffering and pain.

Now, imagine Abraham leading his household down to Egypt to escape the famine. Sarai might have said to him:

“Husband, what if there is no food in Egypt either? And if the Egyptians desire me and try to kill you because you are my husband, what will we do then?”

If Abraham had faith, he would have answered like this:

“Why are you worrying? If we were to starve to death, God’s promise would not be fulfilled, and God would never allow that. Why fear future troubles or worry about my death? God’s will will surely be accomplished. You are thinking useless thoughts because you lack faith. Let us trust God. He has a plan for us, and it will be fulfilled exactly as He intended.”

In reality, it was Abraham—not Sarai—who was more deeply trapped in fear.

As we continue reading Genesis, we see that God protected Abraham just as He promised. God gave him a son, and that son also had a son. Through their descendants, Christ was born, and God’s plan of salvation for humanity was fulfilled. No matter our circumstances or environment, God fulfills His promises. Even if everything in the world changes, God’s promises never change.

God promised that David would become king, and he did. God promised that Joseph would become a ruler, and he became governor of Egypt. God fulfilled His promises.

So where should we place the foundation of our faith? We must place it in God’s promises and believe that they will be fulfilled. Satan creates circumstances that make it seem as if God’s word will not come to pass. But those are merely circumstances. Regardless of the situation, God will accomplish His promises.

When you read the Bible and discover a promise of God, receive it by faith. No matter the circumstances or environment, it will ultimately be fulfilled according to God’s word. The ancestors of our faith pleased God because they believed His promises.

The forgiveness of our sins does not depend on our circumstances or our condition. It depends on what God says about our sins. It depends on believing how Jesus Christ resolved the problem of sin.

Because God’s promises leave their hearts, many people seek signs and miracles instead, trusting circumstances rather than God’s word. Such people do not truly believe in God.

Those who believe in God are those who believe His word—His promises. Even when circumstances do not align with God’s word, true believers trust that His word will surely be fulfilled.

Are you suffering in an environment completely opposite to God’s promises? Are things troubling your heart that contradict what God has spoken? Look only to God’s promises, and believe them.