Way Maker, Miracle Worker

It’s easy to label someone, even ourselves, based on bad behavior or choices so that it’s hard to move past this broken identity and see the mighty hand of God at work. We witness certain attitudes or words repeating themselves and begin to put people or ourselves in categories that are void of hope and redemption. In reading about Jacob this morning in Genesis 28-31, I was reminded of how the beauty and glory of God’s grace eclipsed the sin in his life bringing heart transformation where only darkness had been.

I’ve heard many stories and sermons about Jacob the deceiver -- the one who stole his brother’s birthright and got what he deserved at the hands of his even more deceptive father-in-law. And while it’s true that he sinned and did evil, God still set his love on him out of pure, covenantal faithfulness and grace. When Jacob first flees from Esau, God comes and tenderly speaks to him in a dream, saying that he will fulfill everything he promised to his father and grandfather. Jacob wakes up and recognizes the very presence of God has been with him, but he responds with a conditional promise to God saying that “if” he comes through for him with life’s necessities and brings him safely home, he’ll serve him as God (Gen 28:18-22). Yet, God remains faithful.  He unites Jacob with his uncle and gives him wives and work to do – though these blessings come with consequences for his previous sins. As he struggles for 14 years to work for the opportunity to marry Rachel, God blesses his work and prospers him. Later, as both Leah and Rachel struggle to have children, God sees their suffering, hears their cries and blesses them with many children (Gen 29:31, 30:17, 22).

When Jacob is finally fed up with his father-in-law’s manipulation and deception and leaves, God continues to protect him by warning Laban in a dream to “be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad” (Gen 31:24). At this point, after years of suffering injustice, Jacob has become so certain of God’s faithful presence, power and protection that he now testifies to Leah and Rachel it is God who has not allowed their father to harm him and has even “taken away [their] father’s livestock and given them to [him]” (31:7-9). The one who 20 years earlier was not certain God would come through for him is now declaring that everything good in his life has come from God. When Laban comes after him, Jacob gives glory to God by saying “if the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you” (Gen 31:42). In making a covenant with Laban, he further shows his allegiance to God by taking his oath in the “name of the Fear of his father Isaac” – the name of the LORD.

Jacob heard of and witnessed the “Fear of Isaac” throughout his childhood, but through years of oppression and hardship he experienced it for himself.  He started his journey in Bethel with the mindset that God might not come through (20-22) and ended his time in exile with the confidence in God’s faithfulness. He watched God year after year sustain, provide for and protect him. And in seeing God’s faithful and lavish love poured out in his life, he came to know him in a very personal and intimate way – just like his father and grandfather.  Jacob is no longer the deceiver or the one who is gripped by uncertainties about God. He’s becoming the man who trusts in the “Fear of Isaac” and calls on his name, faithfully testifying to all that he’s done.

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Phil 1:6)

Nothing Can Stop God's Plans

I’ve had some serious plans challenged, blocked and even permanently stopped – ones that I was fully confident would prevail. These closed doors bring with them temptations to doubt God’s sovereign control and his promised goodness over my life. But he guarantees in his Word that none of his plans can be thwarted (Job 42:2) and that no one and nothing can “turn back” or “restrain” his powerful hand (Isa 14:27, Dan 4:35, 2 Chr 20:6). His promises always trump my disappointments and feelings and point me back to his faithful love and ability to not just direct my life but the whole universe. He is trustworthy, which means I can trust him for everything and in every season of life.

On days when I’m fighting unbelief and trying to make sense of disappointment, Psalm 96:10 reminds me that, “The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved." He not only spoke the entire creation into existence in a matter of six, 24 hour days, but he upholds everything and everyone by his power (Heb 1:3). He is unstoppable and able to do everything according to his wisdom and kindness (Eph 1:11).

I’m learning that while faith is trusting God’s Word over everything, it does not mean I have to deny feelings of fear. I can declare by faith that  God is good and reliable and in control even when I feel afraid or like David says, “When I am afraid I will trust in you" (Ps 56:3). It’s natural for me to feel disappointed and even fearful when goals are blocked, especially when I believe they’re necessary for life. But God promises that he’s fully committed to taking care of me, even to my “old age and gray hairs" (Isa 46:4). He’s fully committed to providing for all of my needs, “according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19), and he’s promised that he’s holding on to my hand as I walk through difficulties and disappointments (Isa 41:13, 42:6).

My plans are just that – human plans that are faulty and can fail. But God’s plans for my life cannot be stopped by nature, humans, institutions or my own lack of ability (Isa 14:27). He is able to do exactly what he plans since “power and might are in his hand” (2 Chr 20:6).

           If I choose by faith to believe that he is all good, all powerful and loving and that his plans are unstoppable, I’m free to enjoy him and live for his glory without the pull of anxiety that I might not get what I think I want or even deserve. There have been so many goals that I thought were good, only to find out after a season of disappointment that they were not God’s goals for me and, as a result, they were not what I truly desired. His plans and goals are the ones I want, even when it means giving up my right to understand the reasons behind them.

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God that God should repay them? For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen!" (Rom 11:33-36).

Mighty to Save

“We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2Chr 20:12).

     Jehoshaphat uttered this prayer when faced with annihilation by opposing armies. His enemies were so powerful he was confident that his soldiers didn’t stand a chance against them unless God intervened. Though he felt afraid as he realistically assessed the seriousness of the situation, he resolved to put his trust in God’s sovereign rule over all the kingdoms and praised Him for His greatness, love and power (2Chr 20:6). 

Realistic Assessment

     Like Jehoshaphat, we have to face the reality of our circumstances in order to see our great need for God’s help and ask for his provision and deliverance. God isn’t overwhelmed or frustrated by the scope of our problems. In fact, He takes pleasure in coming to our aid and cares about all the details of our lives (Ps 37:23). He’s not just concerned about the big stuff life like wars and kingdoms, but promises that He’s numbered the hairs on our head and knows when a seemingly insignificant sparrow falls to the ground.

     We often assess the difficulty we’re in with a sense of shame and fear – shame that we’re not able to rescue ourselves and fear that God will not help us. Our tendency, like Adam and Eve’s, is to hide and try to use our own resources to solve the problem. But we never have to.

God has provided everything we need in Christ to overcome. If we’re in Christ, we’re adopted into His family (Eph 1:5), counted as righteous and at peace with God (Rom 5:1-2). We can confidently come before Him and “receive grace and mercy in our time of need” (Heb 4:16). Since God’s wrath has been forever removed from those in Christ, we have His undeserved favor, mercy and love (Mic 7:18), so much so that He calls us His daughters and sons (1Jn 3:1). We are His beloved!

Resolve to Trust and Praise Him

     Sometimes God delivers us with sudden victories like He did with Jehoshaphat and his army. The opposition falls before us, toppling like dominoes. Doors that were once slammed shut are flung open by His mighty hand. In the blink of an eye hope springs to life where despair once dwelt, and we stand in awe of God’s unstoppable power. Other times His deliverance comes more gradually in ways we’d never even considered. The armies of life blast through and plunder everything in sight, leaving us with sparse supplies of joy and a sense of confusion. We’re tempted to think that God hasn’t heard us or that He doesn’t care, but His promises guarantee the opposite.

     Vital to living by faith, especially in hard times, is remembering His Word and praising Him for those promises, in Christ, to do everything He said (2 Cor 1:20). Our praise isn’t necessarily that God will quickly eliminate our current struggle, because many times our greatest blessings come from standing firm in Christ through the hardest battles. But our praise flows from hearts that recognize His absolute, unchanging goodness. We can be certain that every one of His thoughts and actions toward us are always good, and that He will work out our current situation, and all future trials, for our ultimate good and the glory of His name (1Jn 1:5, Rom 8:28).

     This commitment to stand firmly on the foundation of God’s unchanging character and all-powerful love, enables us to face the unknown with faith that He alone is in control. The battle we’re in may end quickly or rage on for much longer than we wanted or expected. Either way, we do not have to give way to fear or dread. Like Jehoshaphat, we can worship our Father God with confident, unashamed hearts, knowing that He has heard every prayer and will act on our behalf at just the right minute (Ps 116:1).