April 5, 2013 … Famine Leading to Freedom

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 95

Passage of the Day: Genesis 42: 1-2 [NLT] …  
1 When Jacob heard that there was grain available in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you standing around looking at one another? 2I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down and buy some for us before we all starve to death.” 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Genesis, Chapter 42 [NLT] … Go to this link …  ============

Reference Passage #1: Matthew 11: 28 ... [After the famine comes the freedom!] [NLT] …  
Then Jesus said, “Come to Me all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens; and I will give you rest…..”

Reference Passage #2: Revelation 3: 20 ... [No matter how bad the famine gets, Jesus is always knocking on the door of our lives, desiring to come in and dine with us.] [NLT] …  
“Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends. ….. ”

My Journal for Today: Don’t you just love the irony in the story of Joseph’s brothers being led to Egypt because of a famine … only to find their little brother, whom they had sold into slavery years before, now in control of vast stores of grain in Egypt. And as they were directed by their father to go to Egypt, they were led to the freedom of repentance, restitution, and restored relationship with their brother. Sometimes it takes a famine in our lives to lead us to the freedom which God has for us when we’re willing to come to him in our humility and seek His providence.

Really, I could – and I will - stop right there, especially if you’ve gone back and reviewed this portion of Joseph’s story from the link above to Genesis, Chapter 42. It’s thick with the irony of God weaving Joseph’s victory story out of the history of his victimization. And we can glean from the truth that any famine in our lives may well be the precursor to God’s freedom.

Don’t you recall those wonderful words of invitation from Jesus, Himself, copied above for your mediation; and both of those invitations from Jesus are made no matter how stringent the starvation is in our lives. So, without going into any more wordiness here, let me close by quoting the questions asked by Os Hillman at the end of his blog this morning, … “Is your life passing through a time of famine? Are your supplies limited? Is God leading you into directions that you would not normally seek? Perhaps this is God's hand creating circumstances for His purposes. Now is the time to look attentively as He directs you to unlikely sources.” 

My Prayer for Today … Lord, thank You for the times of famine in my life, because they always led me, in humility, back to You. … Amen