Good morning, dear family,
When Jacob heard that his brother Esau was coming to meet him with an army of 400 men, his heart sank and he was terrified. He prayed to God for mercy but also decided to play strategically by sending gifts to Esau to appease him.
“And be sure to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” Jacob thought, “I will try to appease him by sending gifts ahead of me. When I see him in person, perhaps he will be friendly to me.””
Genesis 32:20 NLT
There were two things needed:
1. Jacob needed to make Peace with God before making peace with Esau.
2. Jacob needed an Encounter with God before an encounter with Esau.
Many a times we overlook the core issue and try to appease others by covering it with worldly things. Jacob tried but God had to teach him an important lesson.
1. God expects a complete surrender of heart
2. God expects a complete dependence on Him
Today, if we are still trying to settle things with our wisdom and wit, the Word of God is for us, to stop leaning on our own understanding and surrender our lives to God. When Jacob encountered God, it was the beginning of a transformation. Thereafter he was limping, signifying his physical inability and dependence on God’s promises. Jocob was called Israel – Jacob called upon God – the God of Israel (El-Elohe-Israel).
““But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.””
Jeremiah 17:7-10 NLT
Amen 🙏
