When he saw that suddenly everything bad was happening to him, the king of Egypt realized that something was wrong. A similar phenomenon can happen to us. If situations change and we are visited by misfortune, it is best to pray to God to show us where we went wrong. It may be that we have offended the Lord, and because of this, He had to allow evil to touch us. The Bible says that without cause, a curse never comes (Proverbs 26:2).

Fear took over Pharaoh, and because he felt guilty, Sarah's beauty must have disappeared before his eyes. Every day we should examine our decisions introspectively, praying to understand our feelings. God is just and true, and when He sees our intentions to know what we have done wrong, He will give us the answer (Psalm 139:23,24).

Because of the sin that entered the world, many people are evil and selfish. Men do not like to see a couple living well together and soon begin to notice in another man's wife a quality that they consider superior to that of their own wife. With that, unless they have control over their feelings, they will begin to lust for another man's wife. A reasonable thing would be to pray for that couple, that their beautiful love would increase.

Jesus spoke of the danger that both men and women face when they allow their hearts to be overcome by lust: But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  (Matthew 5.28). Adultery causes eternal death — complete separation from the Lord. It is good to read the text of 1 Corinthians, chapter 6, verses 9 and 10, for a better understanding of the practices that will prevent you from going to Heaven.

We are being prepared for life in Heaven after death. That is why we heard about Jesus, the One responsible for salvation, and our hearts felt that we had to surrender to Him, and so we did. Many, however, turned their backs on the redemptive message of the cross, preferring to live in the sinful world. Those lives will suffer for ever and ever!

Pharaoh must have talked to the wise men of his kingdom and come to the conclusion that Sarah was Abraham's wife. The king suspected that this was true and must have noticed how Abraham and Sarah communicated; it was not like brother and sister, but like husband and wife. So he called the patriarch, who confirmed his suspicion. The king saw that Abraham had divine protection!

The Egyptian monarch was truly in love with Sarah. If God had not acted with His power, the king would certainly have wiped our patriarch off the face of the earth, and the divine plan would not have been fulfilled. Take it to heart that the Lord has a plan for you and will not allow anything to thwart Him (Job 42:1,2). The king was bewildered, for he saw the hand of God in everything!

In Christ, with love,

         R. R. Soares