On Hope

Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. (Genesis 12:10)

Not long after his arrival in Canaan, Abraham's newfound faith was sorely tested. Though God had promised to give the land to Abraham's children, that seemed like a remote possibility. Abraham had no children, and the land was already occupied by the Canaanite nations. To make matters worse, a drought brought on a severe famine. Abraham had no choice but to pack up his wife, his servants, his flocks and his herds and travel to Egypt, where the Nile's abundant waters irrigated the crops even in drought years. He would find food in Egypt.

Maimonides refers to the famine in Canaan as the second great test of Abraham's faith. Suppose you had sacrificed everything, leaving your job, your family and your home in order to take an offer for a high-paying executive position with a firm halfway around the world. When you arrived you discovered that the position was not yet open, and you had to take a temporary job in the mailroom. As if that was not bad enough, a financial slump forced the company to lay off several mailroom employees, including you. You would probably be feeling pretty bitter toward the company that offered you the position.

Abraham did not give in to bitterness and resentment. He did not give up on God. When a person holds on to faith and hope despite bad circumstances, it is called perseverance.

We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out." (Romans 5:3-5)

The need to persevere is a normal part of being a believer. The joy of a convert's newfound faith is routinely tempered by life's difficult realities. Faith offers no quick fixes or easy solutions to problems. Sometimes being a believer makes life a lot harder.

So, if life is just as tough for believer and unbeliever alike, what's the advantage of believing? The advantage is hope. As a believer, you have God on your team, and you never know what He has up His sleeve. (Taken from FFOZ Weekly e-drash, Lech Lecha)