When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you keep looking at each other? Listen,” he went on, “I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us so that we will live and not die.”
Genesis 42:1 HCSB

In our Scripture passage here, Jacob is sending his sons to Egypt to buy food because there was a great famine. Now what it’s important to remember here is that Jacob lived in Canaan. The trip from Canaan to Egypt and vice versa was about 14 days.

Fast forward over 400 years and Jacob’s descendants the Israelites are in slavery in Egypt. God hears their cries and sends Moses and Aaron and performs many miracles and frees them. God promises to send them to the land of Canaan which is described as a land flowing with milk and honey. It is also called the Promised Land because this is the land that God promised to give the Israelites once he delivered them from bondage in Egypt.

What’s interesting is that it takes the Israelites 40 years to make this journey. Now think about this, how do we know it was a two-week journey? Would Jacob have sent his sons to buy grain in a land that would take them 80 years round trip? No, it was a 14-day journey one way. So, why did it take the Israelites so long to get there? Well, they had some problems. They would grumble and complain. They would fall into idol worship. They would sin. God would punish them, and they would cry out. They would repent and promise God they would be good and would not worship those old idols anymore. God would forgive them. They would do well for a while and then repeat that same old pattern all over again. Hence a 14-day journey took 40 years. What’s interesting is that God took good care of them during this journey. In all that time their shoes or clothes did not wear out. He provided food and water for them. He guided them. He protected them in times of trouble, and He fought for them. But there were still times of judgment when God would become very angry with them.

I spent many years of my life trying to get to a place of peace and joy. You see God tells us we can be happy no matter what our circumstances are. We know we will have hard times, but we must trust in Him. We must count our blessings and trust in Him to take good care of us. We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 that we should give thanks in all circumstances.

I lived like an Israelite in the wilderness for many years. I would do really well, then put other things before God, then God would help me out, then I would mess up again. But that got old after a while. I grew tired of being tired and living a life of heartache and anxiety. I surrendered to God. He tore down all those things that were getting in my way of a good, solid relationship with Him.

It’s been me and Jesus ever since. He walks with me through this journey called life. I am so grateful that He does. I try my best to do as He has called me to do. I still mess up, but I get back on track a lot faster than I used to. I have finally arrived at that place where I have peace and joy in my life. I am finally enjoying my journey to the eternal promised land. My prayer for you is you will do the same. Surrender to Christ and make it an enjoyable journey.

Have a great day!