When Joseph arrived, he embraced his father and wept, holding him for a long time.
So Joseph gave his oath, and Jacob bowed humbly at the head of his bed.
Lord God my Father,
Your plan brings great joy and restoration, help me to only see the reward to come, not the struggles to get there. Help me to honor you by honoring my family.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen
May God Almighty give you mercy as you go before the man, so that he will release Simeon and let Benjamin return. But if I must lose my children, so be it.”
“Relax. Don’t be afraid,” the household manager told them. “Your God, the God of your father, must have put this treasure into your sacks.
“I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. 5But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.
So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh—the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.
“Joseph is still alive!” they told him. “And he is governor of all the land of Egypt!” Jacob was stunned at the news—he couldn’t believe it.
Lord God my Father,
Your mercy is beyond my comprehension, your plan, beyond my understanding, but you are perfect. Lord God, help me to relax my thoughts so your will rest well with me. The struggles I thought were to crush me, only reveals your glory when I trust you. Give me a peace that allows your plan to rest well and reveal your outcome.
In Jesus name I pray.
Amen
“Today I have been reminded of my failure,”
Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once,
“Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?”
Joseph named his older son Manasseh, for he said, “God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father’s family.” 52Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.”
Joseph is dead, and he is all I have left. If anything should happen to him on your journey, you would send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave.
Lord God my Father,
Your plan is so far out of my understanding. Help me have the focus to work past my weakness and shine in your will. Give me the wisdom and determination to restore what is in disrepair in my life.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen
Judah recognized them immediately and said, “She is more righteous than I am, because I didn’t arrange for her to marry my son Shelah.”
The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.
But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden.
Lord God my Father,
Keep fear from distracting me from doing your will without delay. Help me to commit to doing your will with your blessing and be with me in all circumstances.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen
We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”
Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply.
So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe. 4But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.
But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.
Then the brothers killed a young goat and dipped Joseph’s robe in its blood. 32They sent the beautiful robe to their father with this message: “Look at what we found. Doesn’t this robe belong to your son?”
“I will go to my grave mourning for my son,” he would say, and then he would weep.
Lord God my Father,
You are worthy of an altar with my every step. Thank you for blessing me with all the gifts you have and help me to be a living altar to you as I walk through my day. Your blessing is abundant and living in worship makes the days more delightful. Keep me from boasting and to be humble in all things.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen
“From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”
Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.
“But why should we let him treat our sister like a prostitute?” they retorted angrily.
Lord God my Father,
Give me courage to fight with you so I may learn the error of my ways. Help me to not think I know the outcome before you expose it to me. Help me to not jump to conclusions.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen
Then Rachel told him, “Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me,
Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife.
Rachel answered, “I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes.”
And I replied, ‘Yes, here I am.’
Lord God my Father,
Keep my heart focused on your desire, keep me from “helping” you do your will. Help me to not try to understand what your are doing, but just be obedient. Keep me cry from my heart to be, “here I am.”
At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants.
Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, 21and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God.
“Yes, he’s well,” they answered. “Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the flock now.”
Lord God my Father,
All that I have, home, family, health, is from you. I am grateful for your abundance and grace. Help me to keep only one thought to motivate my actions, to serve you in all things and not act in my own service. Your plan is perfect, its ok that I don’t understand it.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen
Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.
Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the Lord. He set up his camp at that place, and his servants dug another well.
Lord God my Father,
Help me to bring honor to you with all you have given me. I want to put you first in all things.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen
“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”
12“Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”
“This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that 17I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants
When she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough to drink.”
He responded, ‘The Lord, in whose presence I have lived, will send his angel with you and will make your mission successful.
‘O Lord, God of my master, Abraham, please give me success on this mission.
Lord God my Father,
Thank you for revealing yourself to me through your Word. Your way is so overwhelming and comforting. Give me the heart that only looks to you and commits to your way. Lord God I say, “Here I am.”
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen