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There almost always seems to be a buzz of excitement and energy revolving around the New Year. People are making resolutions and commitments to change things about their life. We will be hearing about “fresh starts” and “new beginnings” in sermons, social media, and everything in between. The fact remains, however, that although the calendar may flip to a new page, our circumstances and situations do not magically give way to a fresh slate when the clock strikes midnight and we cross into the another year.

In Genesis 26 Isaac was coming into a new season of life himself. Starting off it appears he has found himself in a less than desirable situation as verse one states “there was a famine in the land”. His troubles do not cease there, however as we see in the following verses that God instructs Isaac not to go to Egypt but to “Sojourn” in the land he was in. Isaac finds himself a stranger, sojourner, an alien in the land of Gerar without knowledge of the land, the people, or his future. It causes one to question many things when they find themselves in a situation similar to Isaac, but possibly we could glean from his response. Verse 6 says “And Isaac dwelt in Gerar” and then in verse 12 “then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him”. In the midst of famine, unfamiliarity, and more than likely a lack of understanding Isaac determines to not only dwell in the land but sow, increase, and profit from it.

There are times in life when the fresh start or new beginning does not come as we expected. Possibly as this New Year has come upon you there are feelings of anxiety, stress, or fear for what lies ahead. Take courage, we serve a God who is bigger than our circumstances. He brings about increase in the midst of famine. He establishes us in foreign lands. He blesses us in spite of our situations. What do we need to do in preparation for God to do such things in our lives? Like Isaac, we settle and sow in place that God has planted us and we trust in Him for the outcomes. Obedience and trust were the responses of Isaac and as we journey into this new season let it be ours as well.