“…Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you WILL perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6
Dear Ones:
The story of Jacob is a most remarkable one. God knew that he would be “the supplanter,” that one who would rule over his older brother, and this, by stealing his birthright. The animosity of his brother Esau, would drive him from home at the age of forty, to travel to a distant land, there to find a wife. It would be on his voyage that God would reveal Himself to Jacob. This will be the first cataclysmic event in his life, which would begin to cement in his mind that God was with him, would keep him, and would bless him. The question is: Why? Why would God choose a “robber” and a “liar” to reveal himself, and this, in order to bless him beyond measure? It is simply because, in the words of the Apostle Paul, “…I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering for a PATTERN to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” (1 Tim. 1:16) There is great comfort in looking at the imperfect and stubborn Jacob. God would take this man, and truly work in him, in many ways, and by many means, to make of him a man of faith, through which multitudes would know the blessing of God.
How does God accomplish this? The first key thing to remember is that God is the God of all circumstance. He uses circumstances to accomplish His purposes, for in and by them, He brings us to a realization of things as they truly are. When Jacob was fleeing his brother, he was completely alone, perhaps for the first time. It was in a very quiet place, in his aloneness, that God would give him a dream of heaven, angels, and the Lord standing at the gate of heaven. The vision would lead to God’s promise to Jacob concerning the land, generations to come, and God’s blessing upon “…ALL the families of the earth.” He then promises that His presence would go with Jacob, that he would be brought back to the land. He will conclude by saying: “…FOR I WILL NOT LEAVE THEE, UNTIL I HAVE DONE THAT WHICH I HAVE SPOKEN TO THEE OF.” (Gen. 28:13-15) This He promised, and this He did…bringing it to pass about twenty years later.
The second thing to remember is that God is sovereign. As such, because of His wisdom, power and authority, He can, and will, FAITHFULLY bring to pass that which He has promised. The question is (…and it was the same for Jacob): “Can God find in our hearts, those who will truly trust Him for it, not only today, but until He accomplishes His purposes?””Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.” (Ps. 146:5)
Dear Father, You who are the God of Jacob, have mercy on us as You did on Jacob. Direct the circumstances of our lives in such a manner, that we too, will learn to trust You, believing You for the full out-working of Your will in our hearts and minds. You are faithful to finish the work that you have begun. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad