Scripture: Genesis 32:1-21

I. God wants you to walk in the way of faith.

A. In Genesis 31:3 God had commanded Jacob: “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” But this land was where Esau was – the Esau who 20 years ago wanted to kill Jacob. Notice how kind God is to Jacob in Genesis 32:1. Who meets Jacob on his way back home? Angels. The angels reminded Jacob that those who were for him were greater than those who were against him. 2 Kings 6:17: “Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

B. If you are going through an emergency right now or some kind of crisis, let me encourage you to follow Jacob’s prayer as an example from vs. 9-12. 1) Call on God’s name. 2) Take God’s promises and turn them into prayer. God must be faithful to His promises or else He would no longer be God. 3) Remind yourself of both God’s goodness and your own unworthiness. 4) Honestly cry out to God with your desperate need for His help.

II. God wants you not to walk in the way of fear.

A. What do we see Jacob doing immediately after he prays this prayer of faith? He makes a plan. He knows that God has promised to bring him home safely. And Jacob has prayed in faith. But then Jacob makes his own plan to help his situation because He cannot fully trust God to keep His word. Jacob, like all of us, is a mixture of faith and fear. His plan is to bribe his brother with a large number of animals (vs. 14-15) to appease him (vs. 20). Are my actions expressing faith or are my actions contradicting faith? Jacob’s actions in bribing his brother were contradicting his faith that God would take care of him.

B. Your God is both great and good. He is great in power and does good for you. 2 Timothy 1:10: “… the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” Jesus has conquered your greatest fear: death. Put your trust then in Him. Not only does Jesus make promises that would be impossible for anyone else to keep. He actually keeps those promises.

Application:

Have faith in God and watch Him do for you what only He can do.

Sources:

• The Bible
• Commentaries by Allen Ross, Dale Ralph Davis and Bruce Waltke.

Sermon Discussion Questions

1. What was God’s command to Jacob in Genesis 31:3? How did Jacob show his faith in God even though he was afraid? Is it always easy to obey God? Is there someone you can encourage this week to help them walk in faith? 
2. How would Jacob’s prayer be a good model for you when you are going through an emergency? What promise of God can you turn into a prayer for yourself today?
3. Do our fears sometimes contradict our faith? What is it about Jesus that should overcome our fears?