2009 - Day 34 - God In The Move

February 4, 2009 … Swindoll’s Topic for Today: God In The Move

Passage of the Day: Genesis 46: 1 – 7 … So Israel [i.e., Jacob] took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
3 So He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. 4 I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”
5 Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6 So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him. 7 His sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

My Journal for Today: I think we all can identify with old Jacob’s potential apprehension in this major transition in the life of his family. Here they were to go from the land God had promised to Israel’s forefathers and to move into the land occupied by a pagan culture. And there had to have been questions about the reliability of the promises which his sons had reported to old Jacob about his son, who now was reported to be living and in a position of power in Egypt. Can’t you just imagine old Jacob saying something like, “What gives with that?!” All of it had to produce a lot of tension and anxiety.

But this son of God’s Old Covenant, now called “Israel,” had learned a lot of lessons in life, going back to the blessing he had wrestled for decades earlier and on into the life he had lived as the patriarch of God’s children. Yes, the old man wanted to be sure that God was in all this moving business; and in this passage we read the only divine vision which is in Scripture associated with Joseph’s life. And God came to old Israel with a clear message … that Jacob was to take his family and go to Egypt with the assurance and peace that God was, not only in the move, but that the Lord would prophetically be The Deliverer of all of God’s people because of this move of obedience.

This is a great lesson for all God’s people to learn, Old or New Covenant believers. Any great move of life can be a most disquieting experience, not only a geographical or positional move, but also such moves as going from one life status to another, … such as going from being single to be married, … from childless in marriage to having a first child, … or from going from one job/career to another. A move can bring great anxiety; and it behooves all Christians to know that God is in the move and will be there, going ahead in the move to guide and protect His children (e.g., as promised in Deut. 31: 6, 8). As you read in these passages, God will always be with a believer; but whether He goes on ahead depends upon whether a Christian is responding, as was Jacob, in obedience to God’s will or whether we are moving onward for our own selfish reasons.

Years ago, my Godly mentor taught me a principle out of the Apostle Paul’s writings which can be used as a direction-finder in making carefully considered “moves” in one’s life. The principle is spelled out in Phil. 4: 6,7; and it can always be used when one has to make a “move” in life (of any kind). Let me lay out the passage, though I hope you have this one memorized.

Phil. 4: 6 … 6 Be anxious for nothing; but in everything, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God; 7 … and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The command of God in this decision making process is straight forward, i.e., to avoid anxiety in any big decision, with a straight-forward direction to bring such leanings or feelings about the “move” in question to God with a heart of thanksgiving (which, always involves an attitude of humility and surrender to God’s Spirit). And then the outcome will be God’s peace – IF – the “move” in question is clearly within the will of God. Jacob got that part given to him directly from a vision from God. However, almost never will that be the case for you or me. We’ll have to wait on God’s peace to come when we bring some leaning to God’s throne of grace. But the promise is clear, if we are truly trying to be obedient to God’s will and we come to Him with a pure, humble, and thankful spirit (which is many times the toughest part), God will or will not give us His peace. If we don’t get this peace, God is either showing us that the “move” is not in His will, or He’s simply getting us to wait on Him for further directions. But if that “peace which surpasses all understanding” comes in this process, the green light is on from God for the “move” in question.

For many years now, I’ve used this decision-making process in my life; and God has never failed me in it. The Lord made it easy for Jacob; and he took his family into unknown, “enemy” territory with the promise that God would go ahead of them and deliver them from all evils. God’s people would one day be tested in this as we know from the history of the Hebrew people being enslaved by later Pharaohs. However, God came through with His promise to Jacob; and his bones were one day, led by Moses, and delivered, along with the great nation of Israel, from Egypt back to God’s Promised Land.

I will pray that I can always remember the truth of this study, especially when I’m confronted by the anxiety producing “moves” of life. I must always remember that God will never forsake me (see Joshua 1: 5 or Heb. 13: 5); and when I’m obedient in completely seeking to follow my Lord, I must trust that He will always be there to direct my path in life (see Prov. 3: 5, 6).

My Prayer for Today: Oh, Lord, how I do trust You and seek after Your will and direction in my life, especially when I’m confronted by a big move. Amen