Alone at Night

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

 

Jacob was a young man when he began running, yet, in spite of his misdeeds God’s blessings were upon his life. Jacob you see stole his brother Esau’s blessing, which was Esau’s birthright as firstborn. In today’s culture that may not mean much, however in those times the firstborn rights were everything. This is why Esau swore that one day he would kill his brother Jacob for what he had done. Jacob understanding the seriousness of Esau’s commitment decided to run as far away as possible and start a new life.

 

Jacob departed and went far away to live with his mother’s family. As he was fleeing, he asked God to be with him, to protect him, and to bless him. Wow! God answered his request. God was with Jacob, he protected him, and he blessed him. It is interesting to note that God did not punish Jacob for what he had done despite the fact that it was God himself, who selected Esau to be the firstborn. Jacob not only sinned against his brother with his actions, he sinned against God too. When Jacob arrived at his new home they welcomed him with open arms. Some years later he fell in love, got married, and had children. Some years after Jacob became a prosperous man; he became the wealthiest man in the region. Life for Jacob was great and his past was many miles and decades away.

 

Jacob’s prosperity was so abundant that it caused some of his mother’s relatives to begrudge him. Those who had once welcomed him now were at odds with him. One day as the situation progressed from bad to worse, God said to Jacob, “go back to your father and your relatives, I will be with you”. “Go back” meant to dig up the buried past, it meant to face up to the mess he had left behind, and it meant he had to face his brother who swore to kill him. After decades on the run the memories of his forgotten past resurfaced and the forgotten memory of his brother’s promise to seek revenge was now fresh on his mind.

 

When Esau heard that his brother was coming, he set off with four hundred men to intercept him. One can only imagine that if he set off with that many men it wasn’t to celebrate but instead it was to fulfill his promise to kill Jacob. The Bible tells us that when Jacob heard that Esau was coming he became greatly distressed. At that moment he decided that he needed to seek the God who had protected and blessed him when he was on the run. Jacob decided it was time to pray to the God with whom he had not spent quality time since he first started running decades ago.

 

Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” – Genesis 32:30 NIV

 

One night, with the encounter between Jacob and Esau being just hours away, Jacob decided to send all of his possessions and his family ahead while he remained alone and in great fear. That night Jacob had a face-to-face encounter with God. When Jacob came out of God’s presence and he lifted his eyes, the first thing that he saw was Esau approaching with four hundred men. The face-to-face with God did not change his circumstances but it sure did change Jacob.

Jacob was a changed man after his face-to-face with God; he went in physically strong and left with a limp. When he went in his name was Jacob and when he came out his name was Israel and all because he had an encounter with God while he was alone at night. You have no idea what God will do with you if you decide to encounter him alone any day or night.

 

Questions:

1. Is there something in your past or present that has separated you from your loved ones?
2. Is there something in your past that has distanced you from God?
3. Has God asked you to go back?
4. When going back, who should you seek first, those you are at odds with or God and why?
5. Why do you think that Jacob met with God alone at night? Where should you meet God?

 

Prayer

Before we pray, let me encourage you to read Genesis chapters 32 and 33 to find out what happened between Jacob and Esau, it is an amazing and inspiring story.

 

Heavenly Father, here I am, just you and I in this space. I have regrets and there are things, people, and circumstances in my past that haunt me. I know that you are the God of my present, my past and my future nothing escapes you or takes you by surprise. My past has distanced me from you and from others but today I am giving it all to you. I give you my fears, my weaknesses, my faults, and all of my mistakes; I humble ask that you make me whole, protect me, change me, and bless me in Jesus name. Amen