Walking through a forest in the dead of night on a narrow path requires a good flashlight shining out in front. Pointing the light behind me is useless. I liken this picture to heeding the instruction of godly parents.

Jacob had, years before, been told by God that his descendants would live in the land of Canaan, but in this chapter we see him packing up and moving his entire family to Egypt. Along the way, Jacob gets a message from God: “Don’t be afraid to go to Egypt. I will give you so many descendants that one day they will become a nation

In this part of the narrative, we see how God uses Joseph to save the lives not only of his family but of all of the people of Egypt. As a wise governor, he had stored up all the extra grain in the years of plenty, and now it was available to the people in the years of famine.

As parents, we teach our children about “fair share” but somewhere along the line, they soon also learn the hard lesson that “sometimes life isn’t fair.” Solomon said, “Here is something else I have learned: The fastest runners and the greatest heroes don’t always win races and battles.”

I was privileged to be raised in a home where I was loved and “blessed”. My parents’ blessing has been significant throughout my life. As I headed off for college I wanted to know that I was making them proud. When I was married I wanted their approval of my choice of a life-partner. As I raised my children I wanted to hear that I was doing a good job as a mom. To this day I seek their blessing.

During our son’s year long battle with leukemia we hoped for the best while preparing for the worst. We lived life to the fullest, however that looked from day to day. But we also took the necessary time to do and say all that was necessary in the case that God called him home.

Psalm 43 opens with a desperate cry. “Vindicate me, O God and plead my cause” (v1, NIV). While it is not clear who wrote this psalm or what the exact troubling situation was, the message is clear.

Something has gone terribly wrong. An injustice has been done