Gensis 50:24, 25
“I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.” Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.”…
This must have been an insecure time for the people. Their champion who gave them a place in Egypt and provided for the world was gone. Now everyone is looking around in hopes that they can still keep their place in the fertile land of Goshen. Who will be their leader now? They must rely upon their own talents and judgement. They must seek God for their own guidance. This is a point that we all arrive at many times in our lives. Will we step out in personal independance and reliance on God or will we seek another Joseph to help us? Jesus’ model with His disciples was the lesson in building independance. He eventually sent them off on their own when He died and was raised. However, there were plenty of training opportunities prior to that. When he fed the 5,000, He had them arrange the people into smaller groups. In Luke 10, He sent them out in pairs ahead of Him to speak of the good news that is coming. They were excited upon their return and He affirmed them by saying, “I saw Satan falling fall from heaven like lightning”. He will give up opportunities in which we are to grow. We are to be more independant from others and are to be more dependant on God through these times. Just as the baby bird has a time to leave the nest, so we have our times. It’s not a once for all, but small training times at first. There is a time for the bird to find a mate and for the construction of their own nest. But at first, flight happens with a return to the nest. When our mentors are taken from us, we need not panic. God will be with us. Lord, help us to be calm of heart and trusting in the good sense You give us with the reliance on Your Word, prayer and the advice of our christian friends.