Gen 48:18 Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
I am the world’s worst for thinking about the way things “should” be. The older I get, the more I see how I have lived my life using the expectations of the world. “But this isn’t the way it SHOULD be!” has often been a refrain in my head if not on my lips.
Gen 48:19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know….his younger brother will be greater than he….”
But we see God subverting this attitude again and again in scripture, including throughout Genesis. Abraham should be too old to father children. Sarah should be barren at her age. Isaac should take the sacrifice with him when he goes up the mountain with Abraham. Jacob, as second born, should not receive the blessing of the covenant. He also should not be considered a godly figure. He’s rather devious. Joseph, as a slave, should not be second in power only to Pharaoh. Again and again and again, God shows us that we can’t bank on what the world thinks should (or should not) happened. God doesn’t think, act, or work according to the world.
1 Sam 16:7 …“The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder that Your thoughts and ways are beyond anything we can imagine. Thank You for being bigger, stronger, wiser, and more sovereign than the ways of this world. Help me not to worry about what “should be” according to anyone but You. Help me to fix my eyes on You. Draw me closer. Amen.
Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
Have a blessed day.
Look to their character…. (devo reflection)
Gen 44:1 Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house….
It feels very much like Joseph is playing cat and mouse with his brothers, torturing them to exact retribution for all that he endured because of their treatment of him. That thought has certainly been rolling around in the back of my head for the past several chapters. But today’s commentary urges me to remember the character of Joseph—Joseph, who knows that God is in control. Joseph, who has humbly served God throughout his time in Egypt, despite false accusations, unfair imprisonments, and forgotten promises. Joseph has been humble and faithful from the beginning. Why would he turn to revenge now?
Gen 44:2 “Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack….”
Lord, Your ways are not our ways, and Your thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). Forgive us when we apply faulty human logic to things we don’t understand. When we see people acting in ways that don’t make sense, help us to remember to look to their character and to lean on You for wisdom and guidance.
Gen 44:4 …”Go after those men at once… say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?’”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that things are not always as they appear. Help us to remember that “The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them, people judge by outward appearances, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Sam 16:7). Help us to trust You. Draw us closer. Amen.
Gen 44:14 Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in….
Have a blessed day.
Devotion to Him…. (devo reflection)
Psalm 147:10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of the warrior….
Yesterday’s idea of an ounce more devotion than fear is still resonating deeply for me, still rattling around in my mind. Our culture is steeped in a love and respect, almost reverence at times, for strength, skill, beauty, cunning. To the victor—the bravest, strongest, surest, swiftest—goes the spoils.
Psalm 147:11 …He takes pleasure in those who honor Him, in those who trust in His constant love.
Except that like so many things, God flips that notion on its head. He rejects the outward trappings, He isn’t swayed by the things others revere. He looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). He celebrates devotion to Him, faith in Him over fear, action in His name in spite of overwhelming odds.
Psalm 44:3a They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory….
Lord, Thank You for this day, this scripture, the continued strength I find in Your reminder to choose You over fear, worry, weariness. Help me to continue to walk the path You set before me, even when I am afraid, even when I am worried, even when I am so very weary. Help me, even when I struggle, to choose You, to keep pushing, keep striving, in Your strength and Your will. Thank You for looking at my heart, which loves You so deeply, and not at my outward appearances, which don’t always add up in this world. Be my strength. Always. Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 44:3b …It was Your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from Your face that helped them, for You loved them.
Have a blessed day.
Teach me to listen… (devo reflection)
1 Sam 3:8a A third time the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
It would be easy for me to wax eloquently on today’s smart phone obsessed culture, to talk about those who are so wrapped up in their social media accounts or video games that they miss the Lord calling to them, and I do not think I would be totally off base if I did so, but today’s scripture hits much closer to home for me than that.
1 Sam 3:8b Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy.
I begin each morning in my recliner with my coffee, my Savior, and His word. I usually spend an hour or two reading, praying, reflecting, writing. That time is crucial to my day, to my well-being, and I always feel closer to my Savior when I’ve finished. But I’m a routine kind of gal, my time with Him has a definite pattern, and if He tried to shake that up, I could definitely see myself responding, “Hang on a sec, Lord. Let me finish this thought first.” Jesus, Help me.
1 Sam 3:10 Then the LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You want to be an active, dynamic presence in our lives, that Your call should not be relegated to a comfortable routine. Thank You for the time that You spend with me each morning, Lord. Help me, always, to listen for and respond to Your call, no matter when, where, or how. Help me to hear Your voice, to heed Your direction. Teach me to listen, always, with an open mind, an open heart, and a willing attitude. Draw me closer. Amen.
Matt 11:15 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.
Have a blessed day.