“Do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again” (Genesis 46:3-4)

Jacob must have shuddered at the thought of going to Egypt, and living away from the land promised to his fathers, but it wasn’t completely unexpected, because he knew what God had promised Abraham, “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years” (Genesis 15:13-14). 

 There are times in your walk with Christ, when it seems like He’s taking you on a painful detour, but in fact, it’s the way He appointed, long before you were saved. Like Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, you don’t feel comfortable, but by faith, you say, “not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). Saints are occasionally called to deal with new difficulties and temptations: when this happens, imitate Jacob's example by offering sacrifices of prayer to God, and seek His direction; but don’t take a step until you have a peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7): then, like Jacob, you’ll have God as your Companion, Friend, and Helper. 

 How blessed it is to know the Lord is with you in all your ways, and condescends to walk with you in your humiliations! We shouldn’t hesitate to go anywhere God promises His Presence; even in the Valley of Death, His radiance will illuminate your path. March onward with faith in God, and you’ll experience Jacob's promise ... you’ll be brought up again, whether it be from the troubles of life, or the terrors of death. Without God, you’d be afraid to move; but when He bids you to go, it would be dangerous to look back.