I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

Genesis 49. “Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until He to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be His. He will tether His donkey to a vine, His colt to the choicest branch; He will wash his garments in wine, His robes in the blood of grapes. His eyes will be darker than wine, His teeth whiter than milk” (Verses 8-12). Joseph was the beloved, as was Benjamin. But at the end of the day God chose Judah to be the vine through which the Christ was to come. What’s interesting is we don’t read much about Judah prior to Israel’s blessing. He was part of the group that sold Joesph into slavery, he wasn’t anymore upstanding or righteous (than the rest), he was just like everyone else, yet God chose him. I have been struggling with choice and change. Struggling with growth, but today I realized that God is not looking for special (He created us, we are ALL special), He is looking for those He chose.