Daily Devotional – Take Time to Stop at Beersheba

Reading the story of Jacob and Joseph in the book of Genesis, we get to the part where Jacob just found out that his son Joseph is alive and well and living in Egypt. In chapter 46, we read:

So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. (Genesis 46:1, NIV)

Here’s the thing—I’m impatient. When I want to do something, I set my mind to it, and when I’m excited about it there’s no slowing me down. But that’s not the best way of handling things—and by God’s grace I’m learning to breathe, to give thanks, and to seek His will before stepping out.

I get the sense that Jacob is doing that here. He’s pausing in Beersheba to wait for God’s lead. He’s slowing down to breathe, to give thanks, and to seek God’s will before stepping out.

I’m reminded of the words in Proverbs Chapter 3: 

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6, KJV)

Our own understanding makes sense, but it’s not always in line with God’s will. It is for that reason, we need to seek Him and trust Him as He’s guiding our steps. 

Beersheba was his war room in a sense—his prayer closet. This was the place where God spoke to his father Isaac, where Abraham dug a well, planted a tree, and worshipped God, and where God spoke to Hagar. This place was familiar to Jacob and his family. It was a place to meet God. 

Even on your best days—your busiest days—you need to go to Beersheba. You need to slow down, close yourself in with God and offer Him a sacrifice of praise. 

There’s a saying that goes, “May I never forget. On my best day, that I still need God as desperately as I did on my worst day.” Our worst days bring us down to our knees in prayer seeking God. They have us asking for guidance, digging into the word, wondering what His next move is. But our best days? Those are the days we tend to forget the importance of knee time. Scripture after scripture reminds us to seek God’s will in all that we do. To go to Him first, and to pursue Him with all of our heart. 

Excerpt from Bible Study: The Life of Joseph: A Type of Christ, Week 6

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Tilling the Soil

Read Genesis 46.

Planting Hope

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6, KJV)

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