Scripture: Genesis 43:1-14
Key Verse: Psalm 56:3 – “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”
When we allow our fears to overwhelm us we put fear in control of our lives.
Jacob’s life was marked by seasons of faith and seasons of fear. In Genesis 43, we see him paralyzed by fear—delaying the journey to Egypt, hesitant to send Benjamin, and ultimately resigning himself to what he believed was fate. Fear had taken control. Until Jacob let go of his fear and chose to trust God, he could not move forward in any area of his life.
His lack of faith is evidenced by the fact that there was no mention of God by Jacob except for a kind of fatalism in verse 14. He does not make any request from God for good, but instead he essentially say’s “C’est la vie”. Whatever will be will be.
Not only Jacob, but the brothers were afraid as well, but their fear turned to amazement when Joseph brought them into his home and seated them according to their ages. The odds of this happening by accident is 1 in 39,916,800. Then, he had 5 times as much food given to Benjamin as to the others. This wasn’t favoritism, the reoccurring fault of his father. But, this was part of the test. Joseph had been assaulted by his brothers because they were jealous. How would they react to Benjamin being shown favor? Joseph watched and discovered that the brothers had changed.
Application: Like Jacob, we often allow fear to dictate our decisions. We hesitate to step forward in faith because we fear loss, failure, or the unknown. But fear is not meant to be our master—God is. When we let fear rule, we put something other than God in control of our lives.
What fears are keeping you from moving forward? Your finances? Your future? Your relationships? Give them to God today. Trust that He is sovereign, and walk in obedience despite your fears.