How do you pray when you are getting what you deserve?
It's easy to pray when you're on a spiritual high. But how do you pray when your life is rapidly imploding? How do you pray when you're facing dire circumstances that are of your own making? When you're reaping what you've sown and are getting exactly what you deserve? This is where the patriarch Jacob finds himself in Genesis 32. But first, let's give some background.
Maybe your trouble began when you were a child. Genesis 25:22 describes how Jacob struggled against his brother Esau while they were still in their mother's womb! They struggled so much that their mother Rebekah inquired of God in prayer, and God told her in Genesis 25:23 (NIV), "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." Jacob's character was known from the time of his birth. When he was born, he was prophetically given the name Jacob, which means deceiver, manipulator, or schemer.
Jacob's character is first evidenced in Genesis 25 where the opportunistic and conniving Jacob cheats his famished brother Esau out of his birthright in exchange for some lentil stew. It surfaces again in Genesis 27 when Jacob goes even further by pretending to be Esau, deceiving his aging father, and stealing his brother's blessing. Jacob ticked his brother off so much that Esau vowed to kill him. In Genesis 27:42-44 (NIV) Jacob's mother warns him, "Your brother Esau is consoling himself with the thought of killing you. Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. Stay with him for a while until your brother's fury subsides."
In Genesis 29 Jacob flees to Rebekah's brother Laban, where he meets his future wife Rachel. But Rachel's father, Laban, manipulates Jacob into working for him for seven years in exchange for his daughter's hand in marriage. But after seven years, Laban refuses to let Jacob marry Rachel and has him marry his other daughter, Leah. Feeling cheated, Jacob is forced to work seven more years until he is finally allowed to marry Rachel.
To say the least, Jacob's relationship with his father-in-law was contentious. In Genesis 31:5 we read how Laban's attitude toward Jacob soured as Laban continued to manipulate Jacob. In Genesis 31 Jacob got fed up, deceived his father-in-law Laban in return, and ran away with his wives, his children, his camels and livestock, and everything he'd acquired. In addition, Rachel stole her father's idols. It's tit for tat!
In turn, Laban became so livid that he and his men chased Jacob seven days until they overtook him. What a compounding mess! Esau was deceived by Jacob. Jacob was deceived by Laban. Laban was deceived by Jacob and Rachel. Now they were all out to get each other.
Some of your trouble is caused by you, and some is caused by others.
Let's recap! Some of the trouble in Jacob's life was of his own making, when he deceived his brother Esau. Some is of other people's making, like when Laban deceived Jacob. And some trouble was of his wife's making, when Rachel deceived her father and stole his idols! And the same is true in your life. Some of your trouble was caused by you, and some by others. But now it must be rectified. So how does God help us in our trouble?
Something that strikes me about Jacob's story is that no matter how much trouble he found himself in, God continually intervened on his behalf. After Jacob fled from Esau, God appeared to Jacob in a dream saying in Genesis 28:13-15 (NIV), "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go and I will bring you back to this land and will not leave you until I have done what I have promised You."
Jacob was so struck by the dream that he awoke, built an altar, and declared in Genesis 28:16-17 (NIV), "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it. How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven." And in Genesis 28:20-22 (NIV) Jacob continued, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."
God shows himself to us even when our lives appear to be imploding.
Isn't it true that even as our lives appear to imploding, and our chickens come home to roost, that God continues to show himself to us? He intervenes! He gives evidence of his mercy and grace! I would suspect that no matter how bad your trouble, like Jacob, you too could look around and realize that God hasn't forsaken you, that his promises in Christ are still good, that you still have food to eat and clothes to wear, that God has kept you safe, that you're still alive, that God hasn't treated you as your sins deserve, and that there is reason to worship.
Jacob did a lot of stupid things in his life. He deceived the people closest to him, including his father, his brother, and his father-in-law. But credit him for this one thing-- he recognized and celebrated those moments when God shined grace upon his life. And so should we.
One of those moments came in Genesis 28 when God intervened, appeared to Laban in a dream, and softened Laban's heart toward Jacob and Rachel. This paved the way for Jacob and Laban to make peace. In Genesis 31:54 Jacob offered a sacrifice to God while Laban blessed his daughters, and grandchildren, and all of Jacob's family.
This should be an encouragement to us! No trouble is so great that God can't intervene, and soften hearts, and reestablish peace, even between enemies, and even where there's been sin. Psalm 46:1 (NIV) says, "God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble."
If God could intervene between Jacob and Laban, perhaps he could also intervene between Jacob and Esau. When Jacob left Laban, he vowed before God to never go back to Laban, lest harm befall him. But what this really meant is that Jacob must face his brother Esau-- the brother who had vowed to kill him.
Jacob was in danger, and God protected him.
I think it's true that all of us find ourselves in deep trouble now and then. Maybe it's a troubled marriage, a personal or family crisis, or a work situation. Maybe this trouble is the result of your sin. Maybe it is the result of someone else's sin. Maybe you are in danger, or maybe it's someone else who is in danger. Maybe you are terrified at the thought of facing someone or something from your past.
In Genesis 32:1 God sent a legion of angels to protect Jacob from Esau. Just like he did for Jacob, God will do for you when you set your heart to do what is noble and right, no matter how hard that thing is, and no matter how impossible that thing seems from man's perspective. You need to know that God will fight for you. He will command his angels to protect you, preserve you, strengthen you, encourage you, and embolden you. God is your refuge, your strength, an ever present help!!
Of course, in Genesis 32 Jacob didn't trust God or his angels. He expected the worst, became overwhelmed with fear, and concocted a scheme to appease Esau and save his family. But then Jacob remembered God's promise! In Genesis 32:9-12 (NIV) he prayed to God, "O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, 'Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper.' I am un unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. But you have said, 'I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted."
What would it look like for you to actually trust God in your trouble and with your trouble?
What would it look like for you to actually trust God in your trouble, and with your trouble, instead of devising a scheme of your own? In Genesis 32:13 Jacob began sending waves of gifts to his brother Esau in order to appease him. In Genesis 32:22 he sent his wives and children away, hoping to spare his family from Esau's wrath.
In Genesis 32:24 Jacob found himself all alone and we're told that, "...a man wrestled with him till daybreak." Jacob struggled and struggled with the man. And right when it seemed that Jacob might prevail against the man, the man touched the socket of Jacob's thigh, and dislocated it.
Now Jacob's situation appeared even more dire. Realizing he couldn't win the struggle against the man, he decided to hold on and cling to the man, and he refused to let the man go. He said in Genesis 32:26 (NIV), "I will not let you go unless you bless me!" But the man wasn't a man at all. It was an angel, or perhaps even the Lord himself. And the man asked Jacob in Genesis 32:27 (NIV), "What is your name?" Then the man (the Lord) told Jacob that his name would no longer be Jacob (the deceiver, the schemer), but rather Israel which means, "he who strives with God." In Genesis 32:30 (NIV) Israel exclaimed, "...I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."
In the midst of your trouble, you would do well to consider some truths.
1. We all find ourselves in trouble now and then. Sometimes it's because of our sin, but sometimes because others have sinned.
2. Inevitably, we all have to face the trouble we have created. We cannot run forever. God has a way of bringing us back to make peace, to reconcile, and to make restitution.
3. God can do what we cannot do. God can soften hearts. He can intervene in ways we can never imagine, and may never know. You don't have to figure everything out. There are some things you can only trust God to do.
4. God will preserve and protect you through your trouble. When you set you heart on doing what is right, God is with you every step of the way, paving the way.
5. God will show himself to you in the midst of your trouble. Every time Jacob thought he was alone, he saw God more clearly and perfectly. You're never so aware of God's presence and power than when you are in the midst of trouble.
6. Our ways are not God's ways. Our plans and schemes continually fail us, but the way of the Lord is perfect. Jacob thought he had the perfect plan for reconciling with Esau, but God had a better way. In Genesis 33:4, not only did Esau shrug off all of Jacob's gifts, but God softened Esau's heart, and Esau ran to meet Jacob, embraced him, and fell on his neck, kissing him! Then they wept together! Who saw that coming? It was the like the father greeting the prodigal son!
7. Finally, we don't struggle alone. When Jacob struggled alone, without God, he was known as Jacob the schemer, the deceiver. Isn't it interesting that when we remove God from the equation, we often turn to sin as a remedy for trouble we are in? We lie, we deceive, we connive, we manipulate, we take shortcuts, and we make messes.
But when God is part of the formula, we become known not as sinners, but rather as Israel, as those who struggle not alone, but with God. We become known as those whose impulse it is to cling to God through the darkness, and cling to God's promises when all seems so uncertain. We ask for God's richest blessings, even though we don't deserve them.
We're told in Genesis 32:31 that Jacob, or Israel, walked with a limp the rest of his life. It is true that after having been delivered from trouble, we may very well walk with a limp. There may even be scars. But with trouble, this one thing will also prove true for those who call out to God. We never struggled alone, nor did we ever walk alone, nor did we have to turn to sin. God was our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.