Help Us to Dream
Your
Dreams oh
Lord!
Your
Dreams oh
Lord!
Genesis 32: 9-12 Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord, who said to me, ‘Return to your country, and to your relatives, and I will do you good,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the loving kindnesses, [hesed] and of all the truth, which you have shown to your servant; for with just my staff I crossed over this Jordan; and now I have become two companies. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and strike me and the mothers with the children. You said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which can’t be counted because there are so many.’”
Jacob the deceiver, robbed Esau of his birthright and his inheritance as the first born son. His mother put him up to the last bit of thievery because Rachel knew God promised both her and Issac that the "latter would rule the elder." It was God's prophecy and promise to both of them. Yet Issac, out of favoritism of Esau, was going to disobey the Lord because of the traditions of men. In that culture, the inheritance went to the eldest son. Today in some circles we would call this a "religious spirit" that "nullifies the words of God for the sake of the traditions of man." Nathan French has taught me that it is these "traditions" we fall into that dull our ears to hear the voice of God. Jesus said the "sheep will recognize their Master's voice." While most of the time God speaks through our thoughts, so does the devil. So how do we recognize the difference between a thought that came from the voice of God, from the devil or from our own mind. In this simple story of reliance on God's steadfast love and a prophetic word, we see the attitude of the heart we need to approach and respond to a prophetic word from the Lord. 1st- Jacob admits such kind of love is udeserved- "I am not worthy of even the least of ALL the loving kindness AND of ALL the truth". Jacob's humility clearly is seen as he recounts how little he left with and how much God blessed him. He sees God's hesed love and truth surrounding him and he knows he is not worthy of rescue from a brother who is angry because of Jacob's deception that gave Jacob a blessing and an inheritance his father intended for Esau. 2nd-Jacob honestly admits his fear of what Esau might do to him and his family. I learning that fear can hinder the answers to our prayers because fear = doubting God's protection. Yet denying what is in our hearts also hinders those answers. I love Jacob's willingness to confess his fear that Esau is coming with 400 men to kill him, his kids and his wives. When we admit our need, our fears, our inadequacy and know what we deserve, God answers with love and mercy undeserved. 3rd- Jacob remembers and in his prayer reminds God that he is stepping out in obedience to God's prophetic word, "Return to Your country and I will surely do you good...and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which can't be counted because there are so many." 4th- Jacob had the faith to risk everything and obey God's voice over the voice of fear that Esau's wrath might rob Jacob and his family of God's promises. The end of this TRUE story is that God gave Jacob wisdom for how to approach Esau. specific things to do He sent small bands of gifts ahead of him and his family. Oppulent, luxurious gifts, then sent his family with all the kids so that he might solicit even more mercy for the huge family and servants who were dependent on their dad/husband/master for provision. By the time he arrived, God blessed Jacob's humble prayer and faith in God's promise to bless him. That answer started with a game plan to soften Esau's heart and ended with an unexpected hug from Esau. Living in this kind of an estranged family is all too common in the present season all over the world. The vaccinated vs unvaccinated, the maskers vs unmasked, social distancers vs huggers, Trumpers vs Anti-Trumpers, Conspiracy theorists vs Fake News/Real news- who knows how many more things have divided our nation, our churches and our families pitting one against the other. Behind this division is a demonic host tempting us to take offense at the slightest provocation and become irritated at anyone who is speaking something that denies the narrative that makes you feel most comfortable. What is God's answer- "listen to His voice and get His plan to build bridges to estranged family members. God knows what they need to see and hear from you. It starts the same way Jacob prayed:
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