“Then God spoke, ‘Jacob, Jacob…Do not fear to go down to Egypt…I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again.’ Then Jacob…and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob…in the carts…” Genesis 46:2-5.
Preceding our passage this morning was an emotional scene of Joseph’s brothers bursting through the door revealing that Jacob’s adored son was alive! They told him about Joseph requesting the sons to bring his father to him. Jacob was an old man who was now a very weak man. Our passage draws a beautiful picture of a man so surrendered to God that even in his waning years, he still had a heart of obedience. Instead of making the journey down to Egypt he could have insisted that Joseph come to him. Joseph wouldn’t have been able to run fast enough to throw his arms around his father’s neck. But instead Jacob trusted his sons, began the journey and arrived at the place where God confirmed the calling.
Our passage this morning is so emotional for me and it reminds me of our dad after he had been battling cancer for 3 ½ years. I remember being at the beach when Daddy called me, along with calling Becki and Benay, and asked us to join him in prayer about returning to Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), a ministry that Daddy led in directorship for 10 years. CEF is responsible for bringing children to Christ through Good News Clubs in after school programs and day cares. This was my dad’s passion for many years and he worked diligently with many others towards this ministry. When he became sick, it was necessary for him retire, much to his disappointment. During that phone call he told us that he felt the urging of Christ to return to CEF and further the ministry. Daddy was spending much of his time in bed in a weakened state with his cancer beyond his control. Once he accepted God’s calling, he immediately contacted the board of CEF who joyfully received him back. During that timeframe, Daddy had strong and steady days which can only be explained through the power of God raising Daddy up allowing him to do the work He wanted him to do. God wasn’t through with him yet and our dad was still surrendered enough to hear His assignment.
Hearing God is essential in receiving the task God has chosen for us throughout our lives. No one person is exempt from God’s love, blessings and purpose. We must carve out time each day to get into God’s Word, meditate on Him in prayer and allow the Holy Spirit to do the work of revealing the mind of Christ to us.
I like to imagine that like Jacob’s sons carrying their weak dad in the cart, the prayers of my sisters and myself carried our dad to the place where God had called him. And just like Jacob, after the work was done God ‘brought him up again’ to Heaven to walk out eternity in His presence.
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