The Path to Rehoboth...A Devotional

The Path to Rehoboth
A Devotional by Bro. Christopher Anderson (edited by Bishop Geoffrey V. Dudley, Sr. D.Min.)

Genesis 26:1-5
1 Now there was a famine in the land--besides the earlier famine of Abraham's time--and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws."

Among the many challenges present when God moves us into a Spacious Place, one of the biggest obstacles are our own choices. Like Isaac, we will have times of famine in our lives. In those times we face crossroads when we have to choose which path we’re going to follow. For many of us, the initial reaction is to “flow with it.”

Like water, which flows to the path of least resistance, we often choose paths that will take us to our desired destination with the least amount of drama and minimal effort. For some of us, that path of least resistance is getting a second or third job rather than tithing and trusting the Lord of our needs. For others it’s finding self-esteem and self-worth in others that were never meant to be our husbands or wives. For others still, it’s selling drugs on the street instead of praying for the boss that causes so much stress. Unfortunately, as humans, we’re really good at making bad decisions at the worst possible time! In times of famine, it’s more important than ever for us to know the voice of God and heed His call.

The blessing God has for us is for us! The Lord isn’t Santa Claus and He doesn’t check us off as naughty or nice. The Lord knows each and every one of us by name and His blessings for us are tailor made. The promises of God are individually crafted for our present needs as well as those of our future. The promises of God go far beyond sufficiency and enter into abundance. While plan He has for each of us will lead us to a place where we can be instrumental in building His Kingdom and uplift his people, we become insufficient as instruments when we fail to follow His plan.

The spacious place isn’t a place that we’ve seen before a map. There aren’t going to be road signs that tell us which exit to take. The Lord alone will lead us to the Spacious Place. If we follow His plans, He will lead us into a place of peace, rest, and provision unlike anything we could have found on our own or created for ourselves. God desires to take us down a path that we’ve never seen before to bring us to a place He alone knows. It’s up to us to abandon our old ways and walk the path before us faithfully. God knows what’s before us and He will not only prepare a place for us, He’ll also prepare a path that to His promises that will bless us through the famines we’re facing today as well as the famines we’ll face tomorrow. Choose His path!