Bible in a Year, Day 22: Having the Faith to Leave

Today's reading

Today we read all of Genesis 31, and Pastor Jack Graham draws our attention to the moment God speaks to Jacob.

The LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers, and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”

(Genesis 31:3, WEB)

Reflection

Jacob had spent 20 years under his father-in-law's roof. Pastor Jack describes those years as deception, manipulation and rules that kept changing. As he put it, "We all have a tipping point in our lives." For Jacob, the word from God to go back to the land of his fathers came with a promise: I will be with you.

Jacob obeyed. He gathered his family and left Laban and everything else behind. Laban was angry that Jacob had gone without saying goodbye, and he chased after him. When he caught up, he accused Jacob of stealing his household gods. Jacob did not know Rachel had taken them, so he told Laban to search the camp. Rachel had hidden the idols, and Laban found nothing.

Then Jacob spoke out about the heat and cold he had worked through and the wages that were changed ten times. He said that if God had not been with him, Laban would have sent him away empty-handed. God had warned Laban not to harm Jacob, so the two made peace. They stacked stones, called the place Mizpah, which means watchtower, and said, "May god watch between us when we are apart."

Pastor Jack sees the gospel in this story. Jacob lived under Laban's authority, and then God set him free. "God turned him loose. God protected him. God provided for him." In the same way, we were once under the power of sin, and Christ sets the captive free, then protects us and provides for us. Pastor Jack points to Galatians, which tells us that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free (Galatians 5:1).

He is honest about how we often get there: "Sometimes we have to be miserable before the truth sets us free." That was true of Jacob, he says, and of anyone who runs from God. God chases us down, and we find his grace and his power to forgive.

Take it with you

• Is there a place where you have reached your own tipping point, and what might it look like to listen for God's direction there?
• Where do you need to remember that God is watching over you, even when you cannot see what comes next?
• Pastor Jack reminds us that "his love for his children is unconditional." How could that change the way you face today?

Prayer

Lord, thank you for being the God who sets captives free. You see every place where we feel stuck, worn down or taken advantage of. Give us ears to hear your direction and the faith to obey it. Protect us and provide for us as you did for Jacob. Remind us that you are with us and that nothing will separate us from your love. Watch over us when the road is long and the way is unclear. Amen.