God goes with you
“I am God, the God of your father,” the voice said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation. I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will bring you back again. You will die in Egypt, but Joseph will be with you to close your eyes.” ~ Genesis 46:3-4
There have been many times in my life when God called me to step into something new and unfamiliar. For Jacob, leaving Canaan and going down to Egypt was a huge step. It meant leaving the land of promise, facing the unknown, and trusting God’s word that He would still fulfill His covenant. What made the difference for Jacob was God’s assurance: “I will go down with you.”
I remember a time not so long ago when God was clearly calling me into something new, but I was apprehensive. It felt safer to stay where I was, even though I knew God was directing me forward. I worried about what I might lose, how I might fail, or what people might think. Yet in the middle of all my concerns, God reminded me that He wasn’t sending me somewhere alone. He was going with me. Looking back now, I can see that some of my greatest growth and deepest blessings came out of those steps of obedience.
Maybe you are standing in a place right now where God is asking you to step out. It might be a new job, a new ministry, a change in your family, or even a deeper level of faith. Like Jacob, you might feel uncertain, but God is the same today as He was then. He promises to go with you, to bless you, and to bring good out of the journey, even if it feels unfamiliar.
Here are some ways to walk this out in your life:
• Spend quiet time in prayer asking God to show you where He is leading you right now.
• Write down any fears or doubts that come up, then surrender them to God one by one.
• Look for one step of obedience you can take this week, even if it feels small.
• Share with a trusted friend or mentor what God is placing on your heart so they can pray with you.
• Remind yourself daily of God’s promise, “I will go with you,” especially when you feel hesitant or afraid.
Today I want to encourage you to take the step God is asking of you with confidence, knowing that He goes with you into every place He calls you. Just as He promised Jacob, He will not leave you alone, and He will fulfill His word in your life. What feels uncertain today may become the very place where you see His faithfulness most clearly tomorrow.
Today’s scripture reading: Genesis 46
1 So Jacob set out for Egypt with all his possessions. And when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac.
2 During the night God spoke to him in a vision. “Jacob! Jacob!” he called.
“Here I am,” Jacob replied.
3 “I am God, the God of your father,” the voice said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation.
4 I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will bring you back again. You will die in Egypt, but Joseph will be with you to close your eyes.”
5 So Jacob left Beersheba, and his sons took him to Egypt. They carried him and their little ones and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh had provided for them.
6 They also took all their livestock and all the personal belongings they had acquired in the land of Canaan. So Jacob and his entire family went to Egypt—
7 sons and grandsons, daughters and granddaughters—all his descendants.
8 These are the names of the descendants of Israel—the sons of Jacob—who went to Egypt:
Reuben was Jacob’s oldest son.
9 The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul. (Shaul’s mother was a Canaanite woman.)
11 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (though Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
13 The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.
14 The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15 These were the sons of Leah and Jacob who were born in Paddan-aram, in addition to their daughter, Dinah. The number of Jacob’s descendants (male and female) through Leah was thirty-three.
16 The sons of Gad were Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
17 The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Their sister was Serah. Beriah’s sons were Heber and Malkiel.
18 These were the sons of Zilpah, the servant given to Leah by her father, Laban. The number of Jacob’s descendants through Zilpah was sixteen.
19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
20 Joseph’s sons, born in the land of Egypt, were Manasseh and Ephraim. Their mother was Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On.
21 Benjamin’s sons were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
22 These were the sons of Rachel and Jacob. The number of Jacob’s descendants through Rachel was fourteen.
23 The son of Dan was Hushim.
24 The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25 These were the sons of Bilhah, the servant given to Rachel by her father, Laban. The number of Jacob’s descendants through Bilhah was seven.
26 The total number of Jacob’s direct descendants who went with him to Egypt, not counting his sons’ wives, was sixty-six.
27 In addition, Joseph had two sons who were born in Egypt. So altogether, there were seventy members of Jacob’s family in the land of Egypt.
Jacob’s Family Arrives in Goshen
28 As they neared their destination, Jacob sent Judah ahead to meet Joseph and get directions to the region of Goshen. And when they finally arrived there,
29 Joseph prepared his chariot and traveled to Goshen to meet his father, Jacob. When Joseph arrived, he embraced his father and wept, holding him for a long time.
30 Finally, Jacob said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen your face again and know you are still alive.”
31 And Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s entire family, “I will go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘My brothers and my father’s entire family have come to me from the land of Canaan.
32 These men are shepherds, and they raise livestock. They have brought with them their flocks and herds and everything they own.’”
33 Then he said, “When Pharaoh calls for you and asks you about your occupation,
34 you must tell him, ‘We, your servants, have raised livestock all our lives, as our ancestors have always done.’ When you tell him this, he will let you live here in the region of Goshen, for the Egyptians despise shepherds.”
Journal:
- What step of obedience do I feel God calling me to take right now?
- What fears am I holding onto that I need to surrender to Him?
- How have I seen God’s faithfulness when I trusted Him in the past?
The Daily Dose 