"But I will keep hope alive, and my praise to You will grow exponentially. I will bear witness to Your merciful acts; throughout the day I will speak of all the ways You deliver" - Psalm 71: 14-15 (NIV).
It's a well known fact that parents have favourites among kids. And so, as it were, Jacob too had a favourite son called Joseph. "Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him" (Gen 37:3).
But wait a minute. Showing favouritism openly does not win a parent many medals. Indeed one day Joseph's envious brothers couldn't take it no more and sold him into slavery, "They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.” He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces" (vv 32-33).
Any of us can imagine what went through Jacob's mind as days and years passed. Although the Bible does not dwell on that we may speculate that he had those lonely moments of wondering if Joseph had really been slaughtered by animals, as he had been told. Maybe it was all a lie. Surely, the old man had some faint hope that all would ultimately turn out as one bad dream- and Joseph would appear again in his life, flesh and blood!
Well, never give up! One day when all had but forgotten, the news came that Joseph was indeed alive! The brothers after being shamed by the man they had once attempted to kill had astonishingly revealed himself to them. Dispatched, they went back to their aged father and "told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them" (Gen 45:26).
Only after Joseph had come up to him and Jacob saw the son he thought all along was dead, did it hit him. His joy was boundless, as you can imagine, and, he "said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive" (Gen 46:30).
You and I can perhaps relate to Jacob somewhat. Some treasure was wrongly snatched from you and you dare not believe it went forever. You keep hoping that one day God will surprise you, and bring a smile to your face. Perhaps everyone has given up on you, yet in your deep of heart, you know one day that door will swing open and your Joseph will stand in the doorway. For it happened to Jacob and you too child of God that pleasure will be yours too, one day!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, I keep hope in my heart that a day will come, not so long , when all that is mine will be returned, for you are the God who never fails, this I pray in Jesus's name.
Related upcoming events
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17/05/2024 - 18/05/2024 All day“And I in righteousness I shall see your face; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with seeing your likeness” (Psalm 17:15)
One of the defining aspects we see in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ is that He began the day with prayer. “Very early in the morning while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). As he was always surrounded by crowds and after such a busy day before of preaching and engaging the Pharisees in debates this must have been a therapeutic moment for Christ when he would have some good time to himself.
But there was also more. For Jesus being away in a secluded place would also mean a chance to pour out His heart to God, meditate in quietness, plan for the day ahead and listen to the Father. Jesus must have looked up to this moment every day knowing its benefits. Conversations with His Father must have been real and intimate, bringing a certain soothing and uplifting of His spirit. You do not wake up and stick to something on a daily basis that is a drag – this must have been his best time of the day!
Martin Luther the leader of the protestant reformation is reputed to once have said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Here is the point. In the olden days before the arrival of locomotive transport those who were setting out for a long journey on foot had to start early with the first cock crow before the punishing sun came out. One of the things they had to start with also was a good meal, which was fuel needed to give them energy through the long walk to their destiny.
There are no rules about waking up to pray as first thing- or even saying prayer at a defined hour of the day. God is everywhere and ever with us. He is accessible at any time of the day. But there is something special about prioritizing our lives that the first thing we do is to talk to God. Just like the early traveller we need fuel, for the long day ahead!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, what a joy and privilege to make time at the start of any day, talk and hear from you, for the power I need through the day, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
