Do Not Let Fear Interpret Every Event

“And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me. And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.”

Genesis 42:35-38 KJV

Jacob looked at the returned money, remembered Joseph, and worried about Simeon and Benjamin. His conclusion came from a father's real sorrow and limited information. We should hear the pain before criticizing the words.

Read the passage carefully

Still, his understanding was incomplete. The reader knows that Joseph is alive and that a larger purpose is unfolding in Egypt. Jacob does not. This difference warns us against treating our present interpretation as the full account of what God is doing. Fear can gather several difficult facts into a conclusion that reaches further than the facts themselves support.

When circumstances seem to be closing around you, separate what is known from what is assumed. Write down the actual responsibilities, seek reliable information, and listen to trustworthy counsel. Avoid making a permanent decision while treating the most frightening possibility as a settled outcome. Such care does not guarantee an easy result, but it can keep fear from adding unnecessary harm to an already difficult situation.