Jacob - Pt. 10

 

Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has gained all this wealth.” And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” (Genesis 31:1-3 ESV).

 

Responding well to life’s challenges is a complicated subject, of course. Jacob begins preparing to leave for home because of a revelation from God. But then he sneaks away without telling his uncle about his plan to leave. ometimes even our obedience to God is tainted with our own tendencies to sin and our reactions to fear.

 

But in the midst of his fear and uncertainty, Jacob begins to understand something of the faithfulness of God. He hears again the voice of “the God of Bethel,” reminding him of that night long ago when God showed Jacob, the runaway with nothing to his name, a stairway to heaven. Now again, even in the midst of another scheme, Jacob is reminded that God’s favor comes as a gift.

 

How do you respond when life is disappointing or difficult? Do you stay and face your struggles, or do you turn and run? I don’t ask that question in a way that indicates you have the power within yourself to control every circumstance. This is the preamble to a message of “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” It is a word intended to encourage you that you are not alone in your trial or challenge. God has not forsaken or forgotten us. He sees us and directs every experience toward our good.

 

The apostle Paul helps with the explanation that our desire to do good is always frustrated by our sin (cf. Romans 7:18-25). And when we are sinned against, we tend to respond in sinful ways. We run away from our disappointments, and we become resentful and mean-spirited when we face difficulties. Still, God faithfully pursues us with his loving presence. He reminds us of the way to heaven, the finished work of Jesus, which covers even our misguided efforts to follow God’s ways. Thus the correct answer is neither running nor staying in our difficulty; it is finding our strength and hope in the One who stays with us!