3-4 God said, "I am the God of your father. Don't be afraid of going down to Egypt. I'm going to make you a great nation there. I'll go with you down to Egypt; I'll also bring you back here. And when you die, Joseph will be with you; with his own hand he'll close your eyes." (The Message)
When God speaks to Israel he uses words often found in the Bible, "Do not be afraid". As often as these words are spoken in the Bible it would seem that maybe we should take them seriously. But most of us read these words as if they were only given to special people like Israel, Mary, and the 12 disciples. It must have taken a great deal of faith and strength for him to leave the place he thought that God was giving him and his ancestors to go down to Egypt. It would have been natural for him to be afraid. But God tells him not to worry that everything is going to be alright.
What would it be like to hear those same words today? In the face of radical changes in our personal lives, in the life of our country, in the church, what if God is speaking into the midst of it all and saying, "Don't be afraid!" Would it change the way we looked at life both in the present and in the future?
Some thoughts to ponder and share with others:
- Why do you think God needed to tell Israel not to be afraid?
- How do you think God telling Israel not to be afraid might have impacted the way he dealt with the rest of his family?
- What are the things in your life that might benefit the most from God saying, "Do not be afraid!"
- How might you live differently if you trusted God's promise that it was all going to be ok?
No comments:
Post a Comment