“Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their dependents.” Genesis 47:11-12.
“Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly.” Genesis 47:27
I’ve been attending my church for the last five months, all the while dipping my toes into the ministries and different church functions just feeling my way around. Yesterday the church celebrated their third anniversary as a church. So, of course, we were in full-out celebration mode. During service each leader of the church stood up and gave a testimony of what God has done in their department of the church over the last year. As I sat and listened to each testimony of what God’s been doing in my friends’ lives a warm feeling filled my soul as I stared up at each now familiar face. I was home. And it was in that moment that the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “Sinking in” and coupled it with a picture of me sinking into a hot tub and laying my head back against the tub in total relaxation. It was glorious.
Then in this morning’s reading the word “settled” just kept jumping out to me each time I read it. And it hit me in much the same way that the phrase “sinking in” hit me. That right now I am settling into my own land of Goshen – Issachar church. (It doesn’t hurt that the pastor’s wife is one of my best friends.)
So in true Tamar style, as I sat down to write all this down I became intrigued by the name Goshen and decided to look up its meaning. I wasn’t disappointed! It is, of course, Egyptian in origin, but it means, to draw near.
Joseph, wanting his family to be near him, settled them in Goshen. Jesus wanting His family to be near Him settles us in the Holy Spirit. It is through the Holy Spirit of Christ that we are able to draw near (or come home) to God the Father, Love Himself. When we draw near to Him through the Holy Spirit, His love wraps around us like a warm blanket welcoming us into His heart, our true eternal home.
We are so amazingly blessed to be called Children of God! There is so much favor and blessing that comes along with that title, but above all else, the best benefit of being His child, is being in His presence! Praise be to God!
I pray that today you find your own Goshen, both a physical one and a spiritual one. I pray that you experience the love of Christ in a new and glorious way like never before! He is so good to us; I pray that your eyes be opened wide to see the everlasting goodness of our God in this the land of the living. It is impossible to see anything in the dark, yet you are a child of Light and have within you the ability to cast His light upon all of the world’s darkness and reveal the hidden things. YOU are a child of God. Have you accepted that calling and position of Grace? Have you made that decision to choose Jesus as your Lord and Savior?
Tamar Knochel 