Courage To Trust God

Courage To Trust God

But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him.

Genesis 42:4

Jacob decided to keep Benjamin close to himself in order to prevent him from being killed, as his brother Joseph was. This was a very human, but foolish, thought—as if Benjamin couldn’t die at home! Jacob seemed to be thinking that Benjamin’s life and well-being were under his control. If such a great spiritual leader—one who had God’s promise of protection—showed such weakness, what will we do when faced with danger and trials?

Examples like this are given to instruct and comfort us so that we may learn to always trust in God. At the same time, we have to take care of our children and the jobs that God has given to us. We shouldn’t think, “I’m a deacon, and I know that God takes care of his church. That means I can take it easy. I don’t need to worry about my responsibilities.”

Just as a father can never be lazy or indifferent, we need to be courageous and work diligently to fulfill our responsibilities. God doesn’t forbid work. He doesn’t want us to be lazy—even though he’s in charge of everything, and everything happens the way he wants. We need to be trained and tested by danger, by terrifying trials, and by the uncertain results of our own efforts. However, we must always remember God’s promise and be firm in our faith. We must pray and do our daily work, but everything we do must flow from faith.