Daily Bible Study

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Day 21 Genesis 32:9 And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which said unto me, ‘Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:’ 10 “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff, I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. 11 “Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. 12 “And thou said, ‘I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’” When situations arise, do you turn to God first or do you call or text everyone you know or put messages on social media? Jacob learned his brother was on his way to meet him when he left Padanaram, with four hundred men. He knew Esau planned to kill him, which is why Jacob fled to Padanaram. With the news, Jacob went to the only person who could help, God. Jacob reminded God of what He told him and asked Him to deliver him from his brother. As Christians, your first action when trouble comes is to go to God, not your friends, not social media. Your friends and social media don’t have the answers only God can give you. Jacob’s prayer has three parts. In the first part, Jacob reminded God about what He told him to do, return to his father. In the second part, Jacob told God he wasn’t worthy of the mercy He had already shown him. In the third part, Jacob asked for deliverance from his brother and reminded God of the promise He made to Abraham and his father, Isaac that He would do good by him and give him seed as plentiful as the sand on the seashore. How do you pray? Do you follow a certain pattern or do you simply ask for what you need and expect God to give it to you? When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He gave them a model to follow. Matthew 6:5 And when thou pray, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou pray, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which sees in secret shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye, therefore, like unto them: for your Father knows what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 9 After this manner, therefore, pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. When you pray, you need to honor God first. Acknowledge who He is. Jacob honored God when he reminded God about his promise to bring him back to his father. He knew his request wasn’t the first order of prayer. Jacob knew his request for deliverance came after acknowledging God. Jacob then ended his prayer by reminding God about His promise to increase his family. God hears you when you pray. He knows your needs. Give Him the honor He requires, and you will always see your prayers answered. Let’s pray: Father, You alone are holy. There is no one like You. You promise to take care of me in every situation. I am not worthy of Your mercy and grace. Yet because I am Your child, covered in the blood of Your Son, Jesus, You know my situation and will take care of me. Thank you for Your faithfulness to me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Copyright © 4 July 2021 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay