How Should We Prepare When Facing Something Frightening?

When something frightening lies ahead, it can be hard to act because our minds immediately jump to the worst possible outcome. Genesis 43 is not a story about people who waited until they were no longer afraid before taking action. They prepared what they could, told the truth, and did what needed to be done.

When the food ran out, they could no longer delay the decision

The famine was severe, and Jacob’s family had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt. Jacob told his sons to return and buy more food. But Judah explained that they could not meet the man in Egypt unless their youngest brother went with them.

Jacob was afraid to send Benjamin. Yet the family still needed food. Judah promised to take personal responsibility for Benjamin. He also pointed out that if they had not delayed, they could have made the journey twice already. Ignoring the risk did not make their need disappear.

Jacob distinguished between what he could prepare and what he had to entrust

Jacob finally agreed to send Benjamin. He told his sons to prepare some of the land’s finest produce as a gift. He also had them take twice the amount of money, including the money that had previously been returned in their sacks, since it might have been placed there by mistake.

Then Jacob prayed that God Almighty would show them mercy and send both Benjamin and his other son back to him. He did not simply wait for the outcome without making any preparations. He gathered everything within his power to provide, then entrusted to God the outcome he could not control.

The brothers told the truth even while they were afraid

When the brothers were taken to Joseph’s house, they assumed it was because of the money they had found in their sacks. They feared they would be seized as slaves and that their donkeys would be taken from them. So they approached the steward at the entrance to the house before anything happened.

They explained that after buying food on their previous visit, they had opened their sacks and found all their money still inside. They said they had brought it back and had also prepared additional money to buy more food. They honestly admitted that they did not know who had put the money in their sacks. The steward reassured them and told them not to be afraid, then brought Simeon out to them. What they had expected was very different from what actually happened.

Finish one preparation you have been putting off today

The greater our fear, the easier it is to assume the worst or keep postponing a decision. Write down one thing you need to do today that you have been avoiding because of worry. Then identify specifically what preparations are your responsibility.

If there is something you need to return, return it. If there are facts you need to explain, organize what you will say honestly. Once you have prepared, stop trying to control every outcome and take the next concrete step. To reread Genesis 43 and observe what the people prepared and how they acted, visit Read the Bible.