God desires for everyone to come to Him and to ask Him for His assistance on different matters. The same can be for us to ask people for help. God works through people and them lending you a hand could very well be God’s work through them. This was seen with the Pharaoh of Egypt in the time of Jacob. Jacob came to him for help and he responded favorably. It is written, “then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen. And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers. They said morever unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” (Genesis 47:1-4) This request was given to Jacob in chapter 46 and then later addressed to pharaoh.
Jacob’s request was for him and his people to live in Goshen with all their flocks and his request was received favorably. These are the same Hebrew people and their descendants who were later saved from a different and evil pharaoh’s rein. They were brought out of Egypt and later into the promissed land. God led His people into Egypt and then later out of it through Moses when things got bad. However, when God’s people entered Goshen in Egypt the Egyptians were good to them. This is because the pharaoh at the time also had Joseph as his right hand man. Here is Pharaoh’s response to Jacob. It is written, “and Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee: The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle. And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.” (Genesis 47:5-7) Blessing people when they help us in any way is from God. So as God’s people we also bless others in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I pray that You will help me and others in the faith. Life can be very hard, but with You in our lives, all is peaceful and we are made strong. All of our worries are put to rest when You come and wrap Your arms around us. In Your presence, we are safe in the middle of the storms. We are a blessed people to know You, God, and to have You in our lives. Many people will never encounter You like we have, and we have much to praise and honor You for. It surely is a blessing to do Your will and to worship You, Jesus, my King. In all this, I ask that You make us bold for Your kingdom, while making us humble also. People who are willing to ask for help. When we feel that we can do everything on our own, we are actually moving away from You and not toward You. So I ask that humility will be a characteristic that every person who says they believe in You will desire for their lives. Then, can You come inside of us through the Holy Spirit and make this become a reality. And when we are helped in different areas by people, help us to remember to bless them in Your Name, Jesus. These good acts towards us come from You and I give You and them thanks. I love You, Lord. Amen.
