Jacob praying Gods promises...
Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’: 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies. 11 Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children. 12 For You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”—Genesis 32:9-12
Jacob prays for deliverance by rehearsing God’s own commands and His covenant promises to him. He begins by confessing his unworthiness of the least of all Gods mercies and acknowledging his fears. I love that Jacob prays God’s own words to back to Him in his prayer. He knows he is unworthy of any mercy and places all his confidence instead in God’s promises to him. I have been studying Psalm 119 of late and reading Jacob’s prayer this morning has encouraged me even more to meditate and hide God’s word in my heart as David did. I want my prayers to overflow with the abundance of His word...I want them to be less about me and more about God who alone is worthy of my trust.
In Chapter 31 Jacob stood up bravely to Laban’s small army that came after him. Here, however, facing his brother Esau, he crumples and divides God’s camp—Manaheim—into the two camps of Jacob. Why...what is the difference? Maybe because Jacob knew he was in the right as far as Laban was concerned and in the wrong with Esau. Our guilty consciences and baggage from our past can get in the way of our walking with God in faith as opposed to fear. We are His. We are forgiven...past, present and future. Again, Psalm 119 comes to mind. Father...may I walk undefiled in the way! Give me the courage to trust You despite the guilt I might feel in regard to my past. Help me to walk forgiven knowing that I can come boldly to Your throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in my time of need.
I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.
I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.—Psalm 119:15-16
