The Plan

DEVOTION

GENESIS

THE PLAN

Gen 32:1-12

32:1 Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, "This is the camp of God!" So he named that place Mahanaim.   3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 He instructed them: "This is what you are to say to my master Esau: 'Your servant Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban and have remained there till now. 5 I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, menservants and maidservants. Now I am sending this message to my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes.'" 6 When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, "We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him." 7 In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well. 8 He thought, "If Esau comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape." 9 Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, 'Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,' 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. 11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. 12 But you have said, 'I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.'"

NIV

We have seen several times when God has spoken to Jacob giving him instructions, but we have not seen Jacob doing much talking to God before. We saw him make a vow. But that was not a prayer or seeking God, but a response of his vision. Here we are seeing Jacob actually in prayer, but it is due to fear of Esau that drives him to seek God for protection. He reminds God of his promise about making him prosper and his descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted. Although he had some hard times over the twenty years he spent in Laban’s household, we did not see the phrase, “Then Jacob prayed”. What we do see here is that Jacob first figures he will divide his people into two camps or groups with space between them so that is Easu were to attack he would only see the one camp and not the other, leaving the one to survive. He did first then prayed second. It was a good plan no doubt, but it was his plan before he sought God for protection. We are going to see his plan have little to do with the resolution to his dilemma or fear of what Esau will do. What we will see is God at work in the heart of the situation and we can only think it is due to the prayer of Jacob and not due to his skillful plan. Why is it we pray when we think we are really in danger or when things are looking really bad, but not went all is well? It sure seems Jacob was doing quite well for himself even with all the mistreatment of Laban. It sure seems that God was always speaking to Jacob, but Jacob was not always speaking to God. Yet now that it looks bad, he prays. We need to be in prayer, not just for our needs, but to be in contact with God. It seems we are have prayer requests at church. Please pray for so in so, he or she is in the hospital, or going to have surgery, or is sick, or has cancer, or getting old. The needs always seem to be about health, but never about fears, as was the case with Jacob.

James 5:13-16

13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

NIV

Here is our instructions about prayer when things are not going so well. We are to pray if we are in trouble. We are to sing songs of praise when we are happy, which is the opposite of being in trouble. If we are sick we should ask the elders to pray over us, anoint us with oil and then get well, get healed. There seems to be some discontent here. We submit prayer requests, a list is made up, but where are the elders with the oil, and where is the healing? Maybe there is no confession of sins. Maybe there is no prayer of a righteous man. Wow, that is sort of judgmental. Jacob prayed and we have to assume God answered by how the meeting went between Jacob and Esau, which we will see later. When we pray, God answers. But why does it seem the sick are not healed? Why does it seem the sick stay sick, the diseases are not cured? Why do we spend so much time with the doctors and listen to all their advice and not hear from God instead? Are we just thinking God will not heal us? Are we too much like Jacob in the sense of working out our own plan first then including God in our plan? Maybe Jacob should have prayed first, “Oh Lord, how should I proceed?” “Oh Lord, show me how I should meet with my brother?” But no, he first acted, planned out his meeting, then he prayed including God in his plan. It still worked out, but not because of the plan, but because of God. This is what we need to see. We need to go to God first and let him lay out our plan of action. God first then the plan according to God not us. The best laid plans of man surely will fall short in compared to the plans of God. God’s plan is best.