The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 2 September 2024 — A Journey Into Destiny
TOPIC: A Journey Into Destiny
READ: Genesis 46:1-7 (NKJV)
- So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
- Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am.”
- 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.
- “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.”
- 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.
- 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.
- His sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.
THE MESSAGE:
Jacob’s migration to Egypt required much physical and spiritual preparations. Joseph, under the direction of Pharaoh, brought the transport vehicles required for the trip (verse 5). Not taking things for granted, Jacob first went to Beersheba with all his people for a prayer retreat (verse 1). God assured him of His divine presence and blessings in Egypt (verse 3).
The phrase “and Joseph will put his hand over your eyes” (verse 4) could mean that Jacob would be supported by Joseph in Egypt and he would die there peacefully. The promise in verse 4to bring him back to Canaan was fulfilled when God brought back his descendants (see Genesis 15: 13-16; Joshua 21: 43-45). Thus, Jacob’s journey to Egypt was really a step into destiny.
As prophesied in Daniel 12: 4, people travel a lot nowadays due to advances in technology.
Some travel in search of greener pastures, for study, or as a result of war or other disasters. For some, a trip initially intended as a temporary relocation ends up as a migration or a journey into destiny. Let us therefore learn from Jacob to commit everything we do unto the Lord, and He will help us (Psalm 37: 5).
PRAYER: O Lord, guide me in every movement of mine today and always, Amen.
