And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
– Genesis 48:15–16
Oh, these verses are so good on two different levels that I want to point out and lead us to pray according to. First, verse 15, it’s one of my favorite verses. I think I’ve said this multiple times in Genesis, but it’s so good. As Jacob is nearing the end of his life he is looking back, and this is his conclusion.
Genesis 48:15–16 illustrates God’s role as Shepherd across generations.
Verse 15, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day.” Oh, how good is that for Jacob? To look back and see at every step in his life through ups and downs. All kinds of ups and downs, even through his own sinfulness. But God has shepherded him. He has led him, guided him, protected him, provided for him… And been faithful to his promises to him. Just as God had been faithful to Abraham and Isaac before him.
It’s so good to just stop for a moment. And look back and see the ways that God has shepherded you. I just want to encourage you to do that today. Maybe even right after this podcast is over. Just pause for a minute or two. And just thank God for specific ways he has shepherded your life… And to see the story of your life as the story of him, as your Shepherd.
So that’s verse 15 and then verse 16. So now he’s looking forward and he’s blessing Joseph’s boys. And he basically prays the same thing over them… That the God who has shepherded him would shepherd them. What a great way to pray for the next generation. I certainly think about my kids when I just read verse 16 and think, “Oh God, please shepherd them. You can lead them, guide them, protect them, provide for them, show your promises over and over to them in a way that they see and know and love you as their Shepherd.” So to pray this for the next generation, to pray this for people, that we lead to Jesus, just to pray this for others, God shepherd them in these ways.
Genesis 48:15–16 teaches us to trust God as our Shepherd.
And so we pray, oh God, you are our Shepherd. This is a picture we see all throughout your Word that you’ve revealed to us about your character and your love for us. We praise you as our Provider, our Protector, our Nourisher, our Leader, our Guide. Oh God, I just think about Psalm 23 and all that you do as our Shepherd there leading us beside still waters, quieting us, leading us and satisfying us, preparing table for us in the presence of enemies, walking with us through the valley of the shadow of death. We praise you as our Shepherd. We praise you for how you have shepherded all our lives long to this day.
And God, we pray that you would help us to follow you as our Shepherd today. Lead us, guide us, direct us, protect us, and provide for us today as our Shepherd we pray, and not just us. We pray for this blessing of your shepherding love and shepherding leadership over people around us, over the generation that comes behind us, over people in our church, families that we’ve had an opportunity to lead to Jesus, that we want to see grow in Jesus.
This verse points to Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
God, we pray Genesis 48:16 over them, bless them as the Shepherd of their lives, and even as we pray all of this, Jesus, we think about you in John 10 as the Good Shepherd who has laid down your life for us as your sheep. We praise you as the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd that you are. And God, we pray that you’d help us to lead others to you as the Shepherd. Help us to encourage other followers of yours to look to you as their Shepherd today. And God we pray that you’d help us to lead people to know you as the Good Shepherd.
Prayer for the Srimali People
We pray specifically today for the Srimali Bania people of India, almost half a million of them who have little to no knowledge of your shepherding love for them in Jesus. God, we pray change that.
We pray that you would bring the Srimali Bania people into the fold through Jesus the Good Shepherd, and send laborers to the Srimali Bania people of India that they might be reached with the good news of your shepherding love. We pray all of this in the name of Jesus, our Shepherd, according to your Word, which we love in Genesis 48:15–16. Amen.