2023 Daily Lenten Journey – Day 39

For weeks we have been considering where it all began. God created. Man fell. God planned our salvation. Man fell again. God continued to keep His promise. Man fell again. There is a pattern that I pray you have come to have a new appreciation. Today there is one final reminder of faith before we end Great Lent tomorrow.

So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.  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 I will there make of you a great nation.  I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again; and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.”  Then Jacob set out from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.  They also took their cattle and their goods, which they had gained in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him, his sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters; all his offspring he brought with him into Egypt.

Genesis 46.1-7

For Jacob and his family to experience the full blessings of God, he had to risk everything. Going to Egypt meant sure death in those days, but God promised to go down with him and his family. We will witness the same level of faith and love next week when we see Christ go to Jerusalem.

What kind of Christians would we be if we only trusted God when the choice was a sure thing? That’s the irony. If we have learned anything during this year’s Daily Lenten Journey, it is that God’s promise is always a sure thing.

I like to remind people that God always answers our prayers. We asked to be saved, and He said He would save us. Do we not trust Him enough to ‘go to Egypt’ symbolically with Him? We are afraid that we will suffer. Ok. God promised that our suffering would not be in vain. We are afraid others will mock us. Ok. God was mocked, and we are no better than Him.

Great Lent is our opportunity to ‘go to Egypt’ and risk death for God’s blessings. Don’t wait another day to begin your journey. Even if you have not made the most of Great Lent this year, don’t fret. It isn’t over yet. You still have today and tomorrow. Pack your bags for Egypt! Get ready for the next journey of your life. You won’t be disappointed.