And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here am I.” Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again…”
Genesis 46:1-4a (ESV)
Goshen is an interesting residence for a people that are going to inherit the land of Canaan. Again we see God’s protective hand as he prepares a place for His people to safely grow.
Canaan has lots of different (and warring) tribes in a very small area. For a wealthy, fledgling group like Jacob’s family, the land of Canaan could prove to be a very hazardous place to live. But Egypt is the superpower at the time and living under their protection – while being somewhat removed from their political centers – is an ideal place to raise a family. Or a people. Not to mention the free food.
Sometimes we wonder why we are in certain places when the Lord has called us to other endeavors. Maybe you sense a call to missions, but you are stuck – family, job, bills – and you don’t see the field coming any time soon. Maybe there is a call to do something great in your community, but your reputation and relationships always seem to be in the way. It seems that there are situations forced upon us that ‘prevent’ us from doing our ‘real’ work.
We should never waste the time we have now. God’s sovereign hand has placed many people in unusual places. Times where we can grow with some degree of safety should not be taken lightly or seen as a lack of confirmation as to what the Lord is doing. Our call is to be faithful; let God select the timing and the venue.
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