“I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.” (Genesis 46:3-4)
It will be alright.
The phrase is a comfort to a child who endures what we consider to be a minor scrape. The parent will comfort and console the child and whatever the issue will be they will be alright. As the child gets older and more sophisticated that promise might be challenged when things don’t go right. When things go horribly wrong. When disaster strikes. When it feels as though the pain just won’t heal.
Jacob’s journey has been marked with tragedy. He has been on the run from his brother. He has been swindled out of his rightful reward for working for his Uncle. That has lead to strife between the women in his life. His sons have brought shame to his name through their horrendous acts. He has seen fraternal relations that has brought him pain for decades especially when he lived with the thought that his favourite son was dead.
His journey was fraught with setback after setback, but in it all, there was something that kept him going. There were the words he remembered from his encounters with God, whether at Bethel or before his reunion with his brother. Throughout there’s been the promise that God is with him.
So even now on the verge of finally seeing the son that he thought died alive again, he has another encounter of the divine kind. After all these years, after all those tears, he is still strengthened by the promise of the one who called him even when he was on the run.
The only reassurance we ever have that it will be alright is not because of what it will look like, but who is saying it. Just as God was the reward for Abraham, so the presence of God with Jacob in the ups and downs of his journey would suffice for him.
As God comes through for Jacob, so we can take heart and hope in His presence with those who believe in Him. His faithful track record is enough to be assured that with Him, through it all, it will be alright.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 