The Feed Mill

Today’s Bible Reading: Genesis 46-47

Today’s Devotional: Genesis 46:1-7

Genesis 46:2 We see first off that God is patient. Jacob had waited longer than needed to send his sons back with Benjamin and to seek God for His direction and plan through the circumstances and famine that Jacob and his family were faced with. God had been patient with Jacob while he valued his comfort above seeking God in his circumstances and for action based on God’s Word, and not when it becomes uncomfortable.

Genesis 46:3 Next we see that when a child of God reaches out to Him, that God’s heart is to comfort and strengthen. If only Jacob would have acted in the manner earlier, the troubles and heart ache he would have saved himself and his family.

God is faithful to comfort us in our time of need, and God’s Word strengthened Jacob.

• Daniel 10:19
  • The one having the likeness of man speaks to Daniel, words of comfort and of strength.
  • And Daniel says when He spoke to me, I was strengthened.
  • Daniel then says speak more because your word’s strengthen me.

It’s amazing how the word’s of God, just by Him speaking to us, comfort and strengthen us.

God gave Jacob 4 promises in Genesis 46:3-4.

Then it says in Genesis 46:5 that Jacob arose. Jacob had himself come to the point of desperately wanting to hear from God the direction for his life at this point. And God strengthened Jacob through His Word for the remainder of his journey and promised to continue to strengthen the Children of Israel and to be with them to bring them back to the Land of Promise. Something Isaac in Genesis 26 was told not to do, to go to Egypt but to stay in the Land of Promise during a famine. So we see here that God has a specific will for our lives, and just because God calls one person to do one thing or not to do something else, it doesn’t mean God can’t or won’t give the specific calling on someone’s life to do the opposite.

We see in Genesis 46 that God’s heart towards us is to show favor towards us and to strengthen us as Paul prayed for the Ephesians in Ephesians 3, in the inner man. And two of the primary ways of God strengthening the inner man we see here in Genesis 46. Is by waiting on the Lord as Jacob did when he went to sacrifice at Beersheba, Isaiah 40:29-31. And by God speaking to us from His Word as we saw earlier in Daniel 10:19. And God further strengthened the children of Israel because Jacob trusted God to complete His Word.