"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.
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02/05/2024 - 03/05/2024 All day“That is why for Christ’s sake I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10)
We all crave to be blessed in life. But was there a believer who was so blessed beyond any circumstances without experiencing some sort of discomfort, in one way or another! A person may apparently be blessed in every single way yet have one troubling matter that constantly drives him down to his knees.
The one mightily blessed with riches may have a family situation that leaves him ever on edge. Someone who seems to be at the height of his profession may be living with an ailment that keeps him ever on tentacles. The one blessed with abundant health might from time to time be dealing with financial woes.
Why do such troubling situations plague even believers? One explanation could be found in the Apostle Paul’s life. Called into ministry and endowed with many gifts, including amazing revelations from above, yet he had a matter that constantly drove him on his knees. “Therefore in order to keep me from being conceited, I was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan, to torment me” (2 Cor 12: 7).
Paul would often cry out to God to free him of this particularly troubling matter. But the Lord came back with, “My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in your weakness” (2 Cor 12: 9).
The comfort of this lesson is that God is completely aware of whatever might be ever troubling us. Moreover, it could be purposely there, that we constantly place our faith in Him, other than relying on our strength and resources, especially as He blesses us in other uplifting ways.
Prayer for today: Lord Father in heaven, today I pray that whatever matter is constantly troubling me, I know it is for a purpose and you are in total control, to bless me even more, this I pray in Jesus’ name.
