What do you do when you've been given a promise from God and then He takes you in a different direction from where your promise lies? That's exactly where Jacob finds himself in these final chapters of Genesis.
God has instructed Jacob to leave Canaan - the promised land - with his family and all of his possessions. God uses a famine throughout the land to drive Jacob and his family into the land of Egypt where Joseph is waiting with provisions that will keep them all alive. God has purposes behind this famine that are far greater than Jacob can imagine.
Why would God do this? Well, thankfully, He tells us exactly why in His Word. As we saw
in my post on Monday, God gave four specific promises to Jacob to hold on to during this dark time - a time of famine that in God's hands would be used to fulfill His promises and purposes for Jacob's life.
Tuesday's reading showed us the fulfillment of those four promises God gave to Jacob. During this time of famine, God was working out His good plan for Jacob's life and for his entire family. God separated this people for a specific purpose. He did not forget about His promise of the land of Canaan. This was a time of preparation for Jacob and his entire family. They not only needed to grow in physical number, but they also needed to grow spiritually. There was going to come a day when they would have to take possession of their promised land.
The same holds true for us today. We must be growing spiritually in our walk with God in order to take possession of the promises He has for us as His children. He truly has a good plan for my life and for your life! One day we, too, will take possession of our promised land - our true home in the presence of God - and we need to be prepared to meet Jesus face-to-face.
Are you facing a time of famine in your spiritual walk with God? Does it seem like God has taken you off in a different direction from where you thought you'd be at this time in your life? I'd like to encourage you to hold on to your faith - hold on to the promises of God that you know belong to you because you are His child! Let God do the work He wants to do in your heart wherever He has you at this time in your life, trusting that what He is doing is for your good. This time is not to be wasted - it is our time of preparation - and nothing is wasted in the hands of our faithful and loving God!
Here are my S.O.A.P.s for Genesis 47 and 48:
Tuesday, November
18, 2014
Genesis 47
Scripture: Genesis
47:5-6 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and
your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is
before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let
them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men
among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock.”
Genesis 47:27 So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the
country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied
exceedingly.
Genesis 47:29-31 When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his
son Joseph and said to him, “Now if I have found favor in your sight, please
put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not
bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my fathers; you shall
carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” And he said, “I will
do as you have said.” 31 Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he
swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.
Observations:
In Genesis 47:5-6 we
see the favor of Pharaoh extended to Joseph’s father and brothers in the giving
of the best of the land and in making some of Joseph’s brothers chief herdsmen
over his livestock. This is a fulfillment of God’s promise to go with Jacob and
his family to Egypt (Genesis 46:4).
In Genesis 47:27 we
see Jacob and his family with possessions, growing and multiplying in numbers.
This is evidence of the fulfillment of God’s promise to make Jacob into a great
nation (Genesis 46:3).
In Genesis 47:29-31
we see the fulfillment of God’s promise that Joseph would be with Jacob when he
died and His promise that Jacob would be buried with his fathers (Genesis
46:4).
All four promises
that God spoke to Jacob are fulfilled. God is faithful! All of these promises
were coming to pass during a time of famine. Proof that God is working even in
the midst of the trying times of our lives.
Application: Cling
to God during the valleys of this life. Know that He is with me, that He is
shaping my character, and that His promises for my life will surely come to
pass.
Most of the time I
do not understand how God is moving to fulfill His promises, but that’s when I
must walk by faith trusting that God is good and that His plans for me are
good.
Prayer: Heavenly
Father, I thank You for Your goodness and Your faithfulness to me. Your ways
are not my ways; Your ways are higher than mine; and Your thoughts are not my
thoughts. Give me grace to walk faithfully with You through the valleys of this
life. Help me to trust You when what I see with my natural eyes does not seem
to align with what You have promised to me in Your Word. I pray that during
those times I will keep my eyes focused on You and on the truth of Your
promises I find in Your Word. I pray that during those times I will allow Your
hand to mold and shape my character for Your glory. In the faithful name of
Jesus I pray. Amen!
Wednesday, November
19, 2014
Genesis 48
Scripture: Genesis
48:3-4, 21 Then Jacob said to Joseph:
“God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful
and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this
land to your descendants after you
as an everlasting possession.’
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God
will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.
Observations: Jacob shares with Joseph the promise God had
given to him – a promise to make Jacob fruitful, to multiply him and make him a
multitude of people, and to give the land of Canaan to Jacob’s descendants as
their possession forever. Jacob shares with Joseph that he is indeed dying, but
reassures Joseph that God will be with him and will bring Joseph back to the
promised land of Canaan.
Application: It is important to remind our children of the
promises of God, that He desires a personal relationship with them, that one
day Jesus will return for us, and we’ll finally be home with Him forever.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the promise we have
of Jesus’ return! This dark world we travel now is not our true home. Every day
that we continue to wait for the return of Jesus, we see a more defined
separating taking place between Your children and those who refuse to
acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior. Give us an urgency as earthly parents to tell
our children of all the promises of God, of how He desires a personal
relationship with them, and that Jesus is returning one day and at His return
every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. May all of
our children bow their knees and confess Jesus as Lord of their lives now so
that they will be ready at His return. May we all, as God’s children, keep our
eyes focused on the promise of Jesus’ return and on our eternal home with Him.
It’s in the redeeming name of Jesus I pray. Amen!
Well, we only have 2 more days in Genesis! Here's our reading plan for the rest of the week:
What Book of the Bible Are We Reading Next?
We are
Reading Through the Bible with the Good Morning Girls taking one chapter at a time, one book of the Bible at a time, for as long as it takes us. There are no dates or numbers on our reading plan, so you can jump in at any time!
What book of the Bible are we reading next?
The book of Psalms! I l.o.v.e. the Psalms!! During the darkest times of my life - those times of famine I talked about today - I have turned to God in the Psalms for comfort and for strength to continue on in my journey of life. God has truly blessed me with many Grace-Filled-Moments as I seek to live life's moments in the power of His grace! He will do the same for you as you commit to seeking His face through His Word and in prayer. Won't you join me in the book of Psalms on Monday?
Now for those of you who may not have been with me in the very beginning of this Reading Through the Bible journey which I began in August with the Good Morning Girls, I need to explain that we have already read Psalm 1 and 2 back in September. So you may want to go ahead and read those 2 chapters over the weekend so you can begin with me in Psalm 3 on Monday.
Here is a bookmark for Psalms that Courtney Joseph has provided for us. You can right-click on the image and print it off to use as a bookmark for your Bible during our time in Psalms.
I'll see you back here on Friday when we will finish the book of Genesis! Only two more days friends...let's finish strong!
Walking in His Grace,
Laurie
***Chime in! Who is excited about starting the book of Psalms on Monday? Give me a shout out in the comments below...
