Remember the story about Joseph in Egypt sending back his brothers to their father?
(..read Genesis 42)
When Jacob learned what had happened, the old gentleman shriveled in fear....!
Rather than saying,.......
"Thank God, God is still at work....!
He loves us and watches over us.
In His care we are all safe,...."
........he responded negatively and horizontaIly.
His sons had not only returned with the food they needed, but also with all of their money. They had been given grain from Egypt free of charge.
All the prime minister had asked was that they prove they were not spies by returning with their youngest brother and claiming Simeon who had been left as a hostage.
Yet Jacob saw none of this as God's provision. He froze in fear and focused on a worst-case scenario.
As soon as he heard they had left their brother in Egypt, he jumped to the conclusion that Simeon was dead.
"Joseph is dead. Simeon is dead. Everything is against me," he moaned.
He began to sound paranoid and self-pitying. "All these things are against me!"
Last time I checked, Jacob was supposed to be the patriarch of the clan, the spiritual leader.
Yelling at darkness doesn't make it light.
But we like to blame.....
Yet, we see Jacob as he really is.... especially in 'Crisis situations'the real character of people are 'bluntly exposed'for everyone to see....!
He responded with what I would call tolerance and uncertainty.
First he denied and delayed.
Then came blame and deceit.
And now, finally, tolerance and uncertainty.
Jacob could see all kinds of schemes, but he still refused to see God's hand at work.
He could not say,....
"Look, (children ), we don't know what all this means, but we do know that we're confused and we need God's help.
.....Let's trust God for protection and insight on this.
.....Let's ask Him to give us direction on what to do."
I, urge you to call my/your families to prayer.
"Hey, kids, let's pray about this before we leave the breakfast table."
Or......,
"Let's spend some time Saturday morning asking God for direction in this situation.
We don't know what to do."
How I wish I could be (back) in such a privilege situation to be able to do it....for/with my children...!
Maybe one of your sons or daughters is edging into rebellion......
Listen to them.
Listen longer than normal.
Try hard not to 'chip'/butt in....
Admit it when you're not sure how to respond.
Then sit down and pray together, asking for God's direction.
It's one thing for us to sit with book in hand and read the story, knowing what the outcome will be, and say with a shrug, "I'll tell you this, I sure wouldn't have done that. I would have trusted God if I had been in that situation."
But would I/you really?
Well, then why didn't you trust Him last week?
What was it that kept you from seeing God's hand in that matter you couldn't handle last month?
Call to mind your most recent major test.
Did you rest calmly in Him? Or did you push the panic button out of fear?
Negative thinking.........
A horizontal viewpoint........
A closed mind to something that is unexpected and new.
That's why we tend to panic.
Because, humanly speaking, you and I have been (self)-programmed toward defeat.
We have formed habits of response that leave God out of the picture.
We don't actually announce it in those words, we just model it and rationalize around it by calling it something else.
............aren't we relieved God didn't put our biography into print (in the Bible)?
Shalom
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