3 So He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.
4 I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”
Genesis 46:3-4 (NKJV)
Companions,
The promises of God teach us that the sovereign creator of the universe has a long-term comprehensive plan for our future. I have often heard people say things like: ‘this isn’t the way I thought my life would be’ or this isn’t what I had planned. God told Jacob to move to Egypt, He would make a great nation from him there and the son he had thought was dead would be there when he died. I am sure that none of this had been in Jacob’s plans. As we start a new Council year, we have many new challenges ahead of us and some of us may have life changing events to cope with, but as God told Jacob: do not fear, I will go with you and bring you up again. What a comforting thought to know that God is watching over us. If He is not saying yes to our prayers He may be saying – I have a better plan for you. It is our duty Companions not only to preserve the sacred treasure of holy scripture but to read it and study it to understand the eternal implications.
Eternal God, we thank you for your gift of Holy Scripture and its promises we can surely take comfort in. Amen.
Jack A. Holloway
Associate Grand Chaplain