THE POWER OF SUBMISSION

Genesis 26vs30-33: “Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank. Early next morning each man made his promise and sealed it with a vow. Isaac said goodbye to them and they parted as friends”.

I greet you all saints in the name of the most high God and my saviour Jesus Christ. Today I am inspired by the Holy Spirit to talk about the story of Isaac and how he left the city of Gerar. I would like to give you a brief background about what happened before the friendship in the above scripture was formed.
The bible says that there was a famine in the land and God had told Isaac to not go to Egypt and stay in the land of Gerar and so he did. So Isaac obeyed God even when it was not convenient for him. Isaac sowed in that land and became very prosperous. The Philistines became jealous of him and filled in all the wells which the servants of his father Abraham had dug whilst Abraham was alive. King Abimelech ordered Isaac to leave their country because he had become more powerful than they are. Isaac left and set up his camp in the valley of Gerar where he stayed for some time.

Now my fellow you would remember that the word of God in 1 Peter 2vs 18 – 19 says “You servants must submit to your masters and show them complete respect, not only to those who are kind and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. God will bless you for this, if you endure the pain of undeserved suffering because you are conscious of his will.” So Isaac leaving Gerar at the command of King Abimelech was an act of submission, respect and obeying the word of God. His submission did not only end there, it is written that the servants of Isaac dug a well in the valley and found water but the shepherds of Gerar quarrelled with Isaac’s shepherds and said that the water belonged to them. Isaac named the well ‘Quarrel’. The bible in Titus 3vs9 says that “But avoid stupid arguments, long lists of ancestors, quarrels, and fights about the Law. They are useless and worthless.” So again Isaac was submitting to the word of God, even though it wasn’t easy for him and he was being deprived. Scripture reads that Isaac’s servants dug another well. And there was a quarrel about that one as well, so he named it ‘enmity’. Isaac did not give up or lose hope after that he went ahead and dug another hole. There was no quarrel about this well so Isaac named it ‘Freedom’.

Today my brother, my sister; you might be exhausted because there was a quarrel about the first well you dug and even the second one. You might be losing hope because you feel like everything you touch turns to dust; you might be discouraged because your hard work is not recognised. My friend you might be discouraged because the world has robbed you of what is rightfully yours. The well of “quarrel” and the well of “enmity” might be your job or your academics or even your finances but I want to remind you today that with every door that closes you are reaching closer to the well of “freedom”. Maybe you need to let go of the well of “quarrel” and the well of “enmity” so that you can get to the well of “freedom”. You need to let go mzalwane of what does not belong to you, let go of what belongs to the land of Gerar, let King Abimelech take ownership of the wells of “quarrel” and the well of “enmity” even if you were the one who dug them. God has got greater things in-store for you. You do not need to hold on to things that have been quarrelled about because you are an heir of the Kingdom. Remain faithful to the word mzalwane, do not sin no matter how hard it is. You might have lost everything you had but do not hold on to the things of the world because they will last only for a while but if you wait upon the Lord you shall have eternal life and pleasures. I am reminded about Job when he lost everything but was still faithful to God, even after he was tempted to the core of his being, even when his wife was telling him to curse God and die he did not do so. Job was faithful to God and he held on to his faith. Maybe today, because of the challenges you are faced with, your friends and family are asking you where this God of yours is and why is He not saving you. But I want to tell you today that God is there, God is testing your resilience and patience, God is testing your faith. You are being prepared for the everlasting gift that you are about to receive. You are that much closer to the well of freedom my friend, hold on fast and don’t let go of your faith. Do not sin because of your circumstances be faithful to the word and you shall receive your reward.

It is written that Isaac built an altar there and worshipped the Lord. Then he set up his camp there, and his servants dug another well. Sometimes as children of God we make the mistake of thinking that God is dumb, after we have received what we have been asking for we stop worshipping God and rest not knowing that God first gives us a test before our actual blessing. Isaac worshipped God in gratitude of the well of “freedom”. The bible says that Abimelech came from Gerar to see Isaac and when asked why they were visiting after their unfriendly conduct to Isaac they answered “Now we know that the Lord is with you, and we think that there should be a solemn agreement between us. We want you to promise that you will not harm us, just as we did not harm you. We were kind to you and let you leave peacefully. Now it is clear that the Lord has blessed you” (Genesis 26: 28). It is said that Isaac prepared a feast for them and they ate and drank. The next morning each man made a vow and sealed it with a vow and they parted. And on that very same day Isaac’s servants came and told him that they have found water in the well that they had dug. Isaac named the well “Vow”.  Listen, my friend I want to tell you today that there is power in forgiveness; your blessings are delayed by the grudges you hold in your heart. I want to let you know today that there is power in living according to the word of God. Your conduct my friend is what is going to attract the children of God to the house of the Lord. Salvation is not a destination it’s a journey and you’ve got to understand that no journey is smooth. You’ve got to understand that there are thorns, mountains, stumble blocks, road blocks, sharp curves, speed bumps, potholes etc. in a journey. Those things are not there to stop you from finishing your journey; those things are not the end of your journey they might delay you a little bit but take courage my friend the journey still continues. I want to tell you today that your spiritual conduct, your faithfulness to the word will earn you the respect of those around you, you do not need to quarrel with anyone, and you do not need to cause enmity with anyone. It is not your words that reflect your relationship with God, it is your fruits. I really hope that this scripture encourages you to respect the word of God the same way it did to me. God bless you.