Returning Back from Egypt

In Genesis 13:1-3 we see a wonderful picture of Abram's restoration after he returned back to the Promised Land from Egypt.   He went to the place "where his tent had been at the beginning...  to the place he had made an altar at first and there Abram called upon the name of the Lord."   

In the previous chapter, in Genesis 12, Abram left the Promised Land because of a famine and went to Egypt.  There he was even willing to give up the woman of God's choosing, Sarai, who whom God promised a nation that would bless all the families of the earth.  This nation would be Israel through whom we received word of God and Jesus.  But Abram left the place of God's choosing and the woman of God's choosing because of of fear.  But God in His faithfulness intervened and we see Abram return from his backslidden position to the "place his tent had been at the beginning."

This is a common theme in almost every believers life.  When we trust in Jesus and are born again, we are given a new life and our eyes are opened to know God and follow Him.  Often as new believers we  go through a honeymoon stage where we bask in the truths of Scripture and begin to learn about who God is and following Him.  But then like Abram a difficulty comes into our lives, a "famine" where we are wander away from the things of God to Egypt.  There we believe things will be better.   But whenever we leave the place of God's choosing, life never gets better, we only go from a place of joy in the Lord to a barrenness of the soul and a world that never satisfies.    

The goodnews is God waits for us with open arms and is ready to receive us like the Prodigal Son.  We simply need to humble ourselves and return to that place where we were "at the beginning... when we first called upon the Lord."   When we do that God forgives, restores and visits us with His wonderful presence.  Isaiah 57:15-17 reminds us this way, "though we may backslide in the way of our own heart"  God comes to us when we are "contrite and lowly... to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite."  

I don't know where you are in your life today, God does.  But if He is far away from you and you have found yourself like Abram in Egypt, return back to the promises of God, to the place where you first received Christ and know that at that place God is "faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  (I John 1:9)

In Genesis 13:1-3 we see a wonderful picture of Abram's restoration after he returned back to the Promised Land from Egypt.   He went to the place "where his tent had been at the beginning...  to the place he had made an altar at first and there Abram called upon the name of the Lord."   

In the previous chapter, in Genesis 12, Abram left the Promised Land because of a famine and went to Egypt.  There he was even willing to give up the woman of God's choosing, Sarai, who whom God promised a nation that would bless all the families of the earth.  This nation would be Israel through whom we received word of God and Jesus.  But Abram left the place of God's choosing and the woman of God's choosing because of of fear.  But God in His faithfulness intervened and we see Abram return from his backslidden position to the "place his tent had been at the beginning."

This is a common theme in almost every believers life.  When we trust in Jesus and are born again, we are given a new life and our eyes are opened to know God and follow Him.  Often as new believers we  go through a honeymoon stage where we bask in the truths of Scripture and begin to learn about who God is and following Him.  But then like Abram a difficulty comes into our lives, a "famine" where we are wander away from the things of God to Egypt.  There we believe things will be better.   But whenever we leave the place of God's choosing, life never gets better, we only go from a place of joy in the Lord to a barrenness of the soul and a world that never satisfies.    

The goodnews is God waits for us with open arms and is ready to receive us like the Prodigal Son.  We simply need to humble ourselves and return to that place where we were "at the beginning... when we first called upon the Lord."   When we do that God forgives, restores and visits us with His wonderful presence.  Isaiah 57:15-17 reminds us this way, "though we may backslide in the way of our own heart"  God comes to us when we are "contrite and lowly... to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite."  

I don't know where you are in your life today, God does.  But if He is far away from you and you have found yourself like Abram in Egypt, return back to the promises of God, to the place where you first received Christ and know that at that place God is "faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  (I John 1:9)