A humbled and open heart is fertile soil for God’s seeds of wisdom to be planted. Deeper Roots is focused on analyzing God’s word to discover truths, values, and lessons for application to our lives. Periodically, a scripture or passage calls for further exploration, like Genesis 43:1-15.
Our Deeper Roots passage in Genesis shows us how God uses tension and time to bring us to a place of surrender. Our scripture selection begins after all of the grain and supplies from Eygpt have run out. Their father, Israel, tells his sons to go and get more food. Judah reminds his father about the request that was made during their first trip. They were supposed to bring their younger brother, Benjamin, with them. Israel was apprehensive because he did not want to lose another son, especially not one of his favorites. So Judah pledges that he will keep Benjamin safe to ensure that they can go get grain for everyone’s survival. With Judah’s assurance of Benjamin’s safety, Israel reluctantly agrees to the plan. He sends them away with money, gifts, and a hesitant blessing for the journey ahead.
Sitting in the tension of their current circumstances had brought them to a place where they had to surrender to God’s will. The famine persisted. As their supplies waned, they risked their entire families’ lives, by not complying with the request of the Egyptian ruler. Choosing between starvation or being men of their word, they choose honesty. They decided to take gifts and double the money as compensation for the first trip’s grain. If not forced against a rock and a hard place, Israel probably would not have let Benjamin far from his sight. Yet, God’s will prevailed and they set off on a second trip to Egypt.
There are seasons when we’re uncomfortable. All we can see are the ways that a situation can go wrong. We hesitate to move because at first glance neither situation looks like a sure thing. We’re torn by feelings of doubt and our faith feels shaky. We know that God is powerful, yet our minds can’t comprehend how the situation will come out for the good. Those are the exact moments to surrender. We have to yield to God’s will. We need to acknowledge that our soul is wavering, but our divided belief does not stop God from being who He is.