Devotional Thoughts for This Morning
“Moving into the Unknown”
Genesis 46:1-4
So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3 Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. 4 I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.”
One of the most laborious and painstaking things in life is—moving. This past summer my family moved from our old apartment into our new house, and while we were thankful for God’s provision of a new home, the process was not fun at all. If you’ve moved recently, you know that it’s so much work: you pack up all of your belongings and put them in boxes, much less load up a truck, recruit help, unload, clean your old place and your new place, and the list goes on. Because there’s just so much work involved, as people get older, there is a growing desire to be settled. I’d imagine that for most of us, by the time we reach retirement age, the last thing we’d want to do is to move.
But that is exactly what Jacob had to do. Jacob was very old at this point in Genesis, and it seems that he was not in great health either; but this one last time, he had to move from Canaan to Egypt. He was uprooting his entire life—all of his family, all of his flocks, and all of his possessions— to go to a place that he did not consider his home. For Jacob, this wasn’t just a laborious thing to do— like my family’s move this past summer—but it was emotionally difficult, because he was going into the unknown. He was going to Egypt to start over in a new place. In his advanced age, instead of being settled and secure, he must have felt fearful and insecure as he ventured into the unknown.
It’s difficult to move, but even more difficult is to go into the unknown. I think we all would have felt anxious and fearful if we were in Jacob’s shoes, but the good news for Jacob—and for us— is that God’s presence is promised. God doesn’t just tell Jacob that everything would be okay and that he didn’t need to worry, but God so personally promises him, “I myself will go down with you to Egypt.” Moving into the unknown or walking into uncertainty is never easy, but if we remember our God who promises His presence, we can walk by faith, knowing that God Himself walks with us.
Prayer: Jesus, help me to walk by faith this day and help me to remember Your enduring presence, which is with me every day. I pray that Your peace will rest upon my soul as I trust in You. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Joshua 1
Lunch Bible Study
Read Exodus 33:12-16: Moses said to the Lord, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” 14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”
Questions to Consider
- What does Moses ask of God in this passage?
- How does God reassure Moses?
- Why was God’s presence so important to Moses?
Notes
- Moses asks God, “let me know whom you will send with me” to bring the people of Israel into the Promised Land. Moses isn’t asking about the names of the angels or other agents—he’s essentially asking God to show him that He is with Moses and Israel.
- God promises that His presence will go with him and bring him rest/peace in the lord.
- Moses didn’t feel like it was worth going into Canaan unless God’s presence went in with them. It was important to Moses (and to God) that Israel be distinct and different from all other people on the planet because of God’s presence with them.
Evening Reflection
As you think about this day, did you get a sense of God’s presence? If so, praise God! If not, consider whether there’s a part of you that feels distant from God or not really seeking Him. Regardless of where your heart is, take some time to pray and ask Him for help and for His presence.
My parents came to the United States as refugees who fled from Vietnam. They, along with my sister who was a toddler at the time, immigrated with no money or possessions, and no knowledge of the culture or English. You would think that they had little chance of surviving or that they were doomed to live a life of poverty, but what they experienced was far from that. They were sponsored by a local church that gave so freely and generously to my family. This church helped my parents find housing, taught them English and how to drive, and helped find jobs and even childcare. My parents were incredibly blessed and so thankful for the lavish generosity and favor shown them by strangers.
I have distinct memories of my parents telling me starting at a very young age that it was my responsibility to be successful—that is, to grow up, do well in school, and get a good, well-paying job. The purpose was so that I could provide for my parents financially and take care of them. They would move into the house I owned that would presumably be big enough for them and my future wife and children. This is the expectation of a firstborn son, like me, in a traditional Chinese family.
The AMI QT Devotionals from February 12-18 are provided by Pastor Shan Gian, who serves as the Fenway site pastor of Symphony Church in Boston. Shan, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.), is married to Jenny; and they are the proud parents of Tyler.
“Is the glass half empty or half full?” If someone answers that it’s half full, you can presume that he approaches life with optimism, but if someone says the glass is half empty, then he must be a pessimist, perceiving situations with a negative point of view. There’s no right or wrong answer, of course, but what this question shows us is that how a situation is perceived depends on one’s point of view.
The following is possibly a true story found on the Internet: “We convinced my youngest sister that she was adopted; it was fairly easy because she was a platinum blonde and the rest of us are all brunettes… She got us back by being happy that she wasn’t actually related to us.”
Perhaps one of the most amazing realities of being a Christian is the ability to speak directly to God. At any point, any place, we have access to the Father – to speak with Him, to hear Him speak to us, to enjoy His presence. How amazing this is!
a Christian in college and I remember at my very first college retreat, during the response time to one of the messages, we spent a considerable amount of time in individual prayer. I was still a new believer, just learning how to pray, so my prayers were often very formal, even forced, since I felt like my prayers needed to be polished, like a well-written piece of literature! However, at this retreat, I was struck by many people around me who fell on their knees in prayer and were screaming in repentance before the Lord. What struck me was the freedom they showed in their prayers despite (or because of) this sense of unworthiness before God. They simply bowed before Him, desperate for His grace. This left a profound impact on me: realizing that I did not need to be so formal in my prayer, realizing that God was so much greater than me, I similarly fell before God and experienced a powerful sense of grace as I unashamedly expressed my desperation for God.
Joseph is being tricky. He is purposely trying to get Benjamin in trouble so that he can see his brothers protect Benjamin. In a sense, he wants to see if his brothers will treat Benjamin in a similar way to how they had treated Joseph before he ended up in Egypt. Still, Joseph returned their money and gave them more food than they paid for, though he secretly put his silver cup in Benjamin’s pack. All this made his brothers nervous and made them wonder what Joseph was really up to.
Many of us likely know the story of the prodigal son, a parable told by Jesus in Luke 15. A son, who was the younger of two brothers, asked his father for his share of the inheritance and, having received it from his father, left and went to live in a far country where he wasted all the money. But upon realizing his utter bankruptcy, the son thinks to himself, “Perhaps I should return home.” However, because of his worry that the father won’t accept him unless he returns as a servant, he plans a speech accordingly: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants” (Luke 15:18-9).
When I read this passage, what comes to mind is Aragorn from the Lord of the Rings. In the Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn promised to protect Frodo no matter the cost. He would stand by his side and ensure that no danger would come upon him. Similarly, in the Two Towers, Aragorn made it his mission to find Merry and Pippen, and to ensure that no harm came upon them by the hands of the Uruk-hai. Parents often do something similar: they tell their children to trust them, that they will guarantee their safety, as they ride a bike for the first time, or do something else that could be scary for the child.