“May He Bless These Boys”

When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?”

“They are the sons God has given me here,” Joseph said to his father.

Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them.”

Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.

Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.”

Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.

Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel who has delivered me from all harm —may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly on the earth.”

Genesis 48:8-16

When we look back on our lives, we see God leading us the whole way. God has an itinerary for each of us, a course that we must run. Our route is charted in heaven and rooted in the sovereign purpose God has for our individual lives. That may sound like our choices are irrelevant, but that is not the case. We make decisions every day, large and small, some of which have life altering consequences. The question – aside from the confounding mystery of God’s sovereignty and human choice, is how we discern the course to run. The answer will be clearer as we grow older, and have more of a past to look back on. By looking back, we can see that God has led us the whole way. Though clouds surround the present and we don’t know what our future holds, we have the assurance that the Shepherd will show the way. Our task is to follow Him in love and obedience, and trust each step to Him.

We can trust our all knowing God for the unknown future.

Our Daily Bread – July 7, 2012