Setting In The Light

Genesis 47:7-10 (ESV)

7 Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?”

9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.”

10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.

Jacob lived to be 147, and he died with his sons being at peace with each other. Abraham had sons which he had sent away from Isaac. Issac lived for years, with bad blood between his sons, but Jacob would die with his children spending years in peace with each other.

The son he thought was dead, had brought him in the presence of the king. Now he was the Father of the Prime Minister Of Egypt. Jacob had not lost his child, and yet, he still had sadness.

I am a man who knows what it’s like to deal with unnecessary sadness. This Covid has reminded me of it, truthfully I’ve battled depression for several days. Yesterday it began to lift. Even as I was going through it, I knew it was illogical. At the same time, it felt like I was spiraling into a downward pit, and taking my wife and son with me.

I remember at 6-7 years old, standing in my Grandfather’s yard. A thought went through my mind that I knew shouldn’t have been there, and I remember thinking, “Lord I was going to be something great for you, and now I’ve messed it up.” At that time, I didn’t realize how much greater than my own failures God is.

While I knew better going through Covid, I was still struggling under the mental weight of it. Sunday The Message from our Church, Point Of Mercy and Pastor strengthened me. Yesterday, I started playing their project, The Livingstons, “Unexpected Journey”, and things began to lighten.

I can tell you, nothing circumstantial changed, yet I got close enough to where God was louder than my insecurities. I had been reaching out, I had been praying, and God was near, but He wanted me to take this journey. What Jacob may have missed was, God wanted him to take an unexpected journey to Egypt.

His Grandpa Abraham left Egypt, being sent away by Pharaoh. God wouldn’t let Isaac even go into Egypt. Now Jacob set before the King of Egypt, because of a son he had mourned over, and The Bible says Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

After he blessed Pharaoh he lived seventeen years, the same age Joseph was when he went into Egypt. God will restore the years you thought you had lost. He will set you in places others never got to see, but if you’re not careful, you’ll allow your viewpoint to look at the shadows of old things, while setting in The Light. Don’t get so focused on the pain of yesterday and today, that you miss the joy, of setting in The Presence Of The King!