Now the famine was severe in the land. And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go again, buy us a little food."
Genesis 43:1-2

Jacob (called Israel) and his sons were a nomadic family of sheep and cattle herders out in the middle of nowhere. They only knew that the crops had failed, they were hungry, their kids were hungry, their animals were hungry, and there was no food, except in Egypt. They were desperate.

They knew that God had promised their great-grandfather Abraham that somehow He would bless them and make them a blessing to the whole world, but that seemed like a family legend from a hundred years ago and was small comfort in their distress. What they needed was food.

Jacob, now a very old man, was consumed with grief over the loss of his favorite son, Joseph, whom he thought had been devoured by some wild animal more than twenty years before. The brothers knew better; they lived with the guilt and regret of having sold their brother into slavery, in a fit of uncontrollable envy.

And Joseph, now the Prime Minister of Egypt, the second most powerful man on earth, longed to see his father again and to see his brothers redeemed and the family reunited in love.

They all had no way of knowing that the worldwide economic crash, the famine and the terrible crisis they were experiencing was all part of God’s plan to turn them into the nation of Israel, give us the Bible, and bring the Savior He had promised to the world.

Fast-forward four thousand years:

God has promised to forgive and accept you as His child for Jesus’ sake. He says that He has a plan for your life, just as He had for Jacob. He promises that He is guiding your personal circumstances, the worldwide economy, international geopolitics, and even the movement of the planets to bring about His purpose in your life.

It’s all far bigger than you have imagined. It has implications that reverberate throughout eternity, and all you have to do is trust and obey Him.

Lord, I don’t understand this; it’s way beyond me, and all I can see is the comparatively little problems I face today, but I trust You. You know what You’re doing, Your Word is true, and Your plan is good. Help me to trust and obey, to be faithful with what’s on my plate today. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles