An exciting moment in the story of Jacob and his sons, loaded with lessons for us today, was: “When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die” (Genesis 42:1,2).

There was a famine at that time on Earth. Running out of food, Joseph’s 11 brothers and Jacob’s sons were there, with their hands on their chin, walking from one side to the other, watching the food run out, the animals dying and receiving no rain.

Joseph, having a dream inspired by God, tried to store food for 7 years in Egypt. And that news spread. But Jacob’s other children didn’t take action.

And it is in this situation that many find themselves: the calamity has arrived, the situation gets worse every day, and the person keeps looking (at the husband, the wife, the son, the dog, the mirror, the mobile phone). They keep examining the situation without taking action. And Jacob’s rebuke to his children was timely: “How long will you stand by?”

So, Jacob’s wake-up call was to wake them up. And what does that mean today? You, who keep wishing for a different life, make the same mistake of not doing anything different. You must get out of this spiritual slumber and inertia situation and act. Do something.

What can you do? Jacob’s sons could fetch the camels and face the arduous journey to Egypt. They would take a chance but have an opportunity to bring food and save the clan. They had to do something. Of course, they needed courage and faith to do that. But something had to be done.

Maybe, you say: “I want a better life”. But do you stand still, waiting for this to happen out of nowhere? Take a risk, take courage, do what you have to do. What is the alternative if you cannot leave things as they are? What can you do? What did God give in your hand for you to do? Who can you talk to? Where can you go? What action should you take?

Get up and do it. Don’t be embarrassed by your idleness or lack of action because omission is a sin. You can and know how to do something, but not doing anything is a sin. What are you doing while you watch life go by? Looking at others, waiting for a better day without you doing anything today? Will you wake up?

When the sons of Jacob went down to Egypt, a change began in the whole story, not only of Jacob but also in the life of Joseph and his brothers. God arranged for Joseph to be in Egypt.

You see the story of Joseph having closure. His brothers hated him; he was unjustly arrested and treated as a slave. All that was God’s plan for him to end up in the right place and at the right time to save his family. In other words, sometimes you won’t understand what’s happening, but when the storm passes, you’ll understand everything. “Now I see why God allowed this in my life.”

Go ahead! If you are acting by faith, do not worry about the storm, about the things that are happening; in a little while, everything will fall into its proper place. When you are obedient to the Word of God, even evil He transforms into good.

Think about this message available in the video above.