“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys;
and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth” (48:15 -16).
Jacob is ill, one hundred and forty-seven years old, and soon to die. So, Joseph takes his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to visit him. Jacob says that these two will be counted among Jacob’s sons, and he blesses them. Joseph tries to correct the fact that his father put his right hand on the younger one’s (Ephraim’s) head and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, thus counting Ephraim as the firstborn, but Jacob insists that while they will both be blessed, the younger one will be greater, and his offspring will become a multitude of nations. It is interesting that this was the case with Jacob himself, whom God had chosen over his older twin, Esau, so many years ago.
God’s ways are not our ways.
Notice that Jacob no longer refers to God as the God of his fathers but says that God has been his “shepherd all his life long to this day” (Genesis. 48:15). Jacob is also able to confidently tell Joseph that “God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers” (Genesis 48:21).
God’s faithfulness to Jacob has given Jacob faith—faith to trust God that all that He said would come to pass, will come to pass, faith that God will be with Joseph. As I think of God’s faithfulness to His people in the Bible, as well as His faithfulness to various people I have known and others whose stories I’ve read, plus His faithfulness to me and my family over the years, my faith is strengthened.
There are times when there is a great challenge in my life, or something that is causing me to fear. But and then I think of God’s faithfulness in His Word, to His people, and to me and my family. Doing this immediately lifts the burden I am unnecessarily carrying as I look at God’s faithfulness and my own faith is restored.
One time this occurred was when my husband and I were going on a ministry trip to Europe. My husband had been invited to teach his Bible overview seminar in a couple of countries, but we needed to pay our own way. We were struggling financially at that time, and the cost of the trip had me feeling very burdened. I went to pray and immediately I remembered how God provided for our people in the wilderness. And then I remembered how God had provided for our family over the decades! My burden was lifted. The ministry trip ended up being a blessing and God provided so abundantly for that trip that we were able to leave money with the people there.
Prayer: O God, may I be ever mindful of Your faithfulness to me and my family, so that I may have faith to keep on trusting you for every single thing in my life and the lives of my loved ones. Amen.
