Genesis 47:9 Few And Difficult Years

And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.” Genesis 47:9

At times, living life can seem to be a long time. This becomes especially true when one is going through difficult times. The more difficult the time, the longer the time. Time will feel as though it has slowed down or even stopped altogether.

When things are going good, time seems to speed up and go super fast. It appears as if there is not enough time to do all the fun things that a person wants to do or has started to do. Yet, in reality, time is the same for every person and is neither faster nor slower at any time during one’s life.

These feelings are no different for believers. They have the same challenge of feeling how fast or slow time seems to go.

Many believers think that the Old or New Testament saints always had it easy and things went great for them all the time. Jacob had told Pharaoh that his years had been few and difficult. It had not been an easy road for him. Paul went through struggle after struggle as he lived on this earth. Jesus was persecuted and finally killed in less than 40 years.

Jesus promised hard times would come in a person’s life, but He also promised that He would be with the person through it all. Jacob did not complain about his struggles, but just made it a statement that he had them.

Regardless of whether a person lives to be one hundred and forty or only until he is forty, his life is short. It is short compared to all eternity. The question is what a person will do with those few and difficult years.

You may be going through difficult times, that seems to last forever. It is not lasting forever, it is only a short time in light of all eternity.

Keep your eyes on Jesus and live for God during the difficult times. Trust that He knows what He is allowing in your life. Do what you can for God, while you have life on this earth. It is only a short time, a vapor and it will be over and eternity will begin.

What are you doing with your short, few and difficult years on this earth for God?

I pray today that you will know God’s will for your life; that you will trust God at all times; that you will dedicate your life to God; and that God will help you see how short life really is.