Meeting Esau. As Jacob prepares to meet his bother Esau he is very afraid. We examine 2 encounters he has with God before his meeting & how they are a model for us in our prayer lives. Just a few things we hit on: Going to God first, reminding ourselves of who He is, what He says, & what He's already done, being authentic, wrestling with God, allowing Him to make us new.

Jacob & Laban. Jacob had served Laban 14 years for his wives & had 11 sons & he was ready to go home. But it was not in God's timing, so he made a deal with Laban to stay with him in exchange for a flock of his own. Jacob trusted God to bless his flock & He made him very prosperous. After 6 years, the Lord told him it was time to leave. But instead of telling Laban, he just left because he assumed Laban would not want him to go. Laban felt blindsided & went after him. Jacob's second assumption could have been worse than his first but the Lord took care of him & they made peace. Do you trust God with your livelihood? Do you trust His timing? Are you confident enough to just be upfront & open with others, trusting God with their response?

For Jacob, it is love at first sight with Rachel. He works for 7 years so that she can be his wife. But deception comes for him this time, and he is given her sister Leah instead Rachel also becomes his wife a week later when he agrees to work 7 more years. So he has two wives one that he wanted and another that he didn't. God evens the playing field for Leah and allows her to have his children, while Rachel is unable. The sisters rival, each one lacking in some way. What do we do when our needs aren't met, when we feel unloved, unwanted, unneeded, unable? Is God enough for us?

Esau was devastated when he found out that Jacob had taken his blessing. But his priorities were not where they should have been from the beginning. When we say something is important to us but we do not place it in a position of importance, we are at risk of losing it. Esau was so angry that he wanted to kill Jacob so his mother sent him away. On his journey, God found him and extended the Abrahamic blessing to him. His dream gave Jacob a visual of just how involved God was in his life. Do you believe that God is involved in your every day life? We owe Him everything!

Jacob steals Esau's Blessing. Jacob and Rebekah go to great lengths to deceive Isaac and cheat Esau out of the blessing. Is Isaac wrong to try to give the blessing to Esau in the first place? Why does Rebekah take it into her own hands to bring about God's plan? Has Esau already forfeited his right? Is Jacob's only concern getting caught? Despite the whole family looking after their own interests, God's plan will prevail. Ends do not justify the means. Two wrongs do not make a right. Negative consequences should not be our only deterrent. Have some integrity. Do what is right.

Isaac lies. God sent Isaac to another city and just like his father, out of fear, he lied saying that Rebekah was his sister. Even after God told him that He would be with him, he was still afraid. Are we ever afraid, even when we know we are in God's will? Do we Trust him enough to obey fully? Do we follow Him or base our actions off of our perceived circumstances? Assumptions and fear can be dangerous. Acting on our feelings or reasoned thoughts instead of trusting God can lead us to do things that we shouldn't. Sometimes God uses opened and closed doors to lead us. Pray and pay attention to His leading.

Esau and Jacob. Waiting for an answer from the Lord can be difficult. What can we conclude from His silence. With the answered prayer comes many struggles. These two brothers couldn't be more different. The parents play favorites putting further dissention between them. Jacob covets what he does not have and Esau is not jealous enough to protect it. Is jealousy wrong? How important is status & position?

The Father of Faith. After Sarah died, Abraham had children with his concubine. He died at the age of 175 and was buried in Hebron with Sarah. Today Hebron is in the West Bank and the area is a large source of contention for the 3 major religions, Jews, Christians, & Muslims, who all claim Abraham as their descendant. We talk about modern day Israel some & then summarize Abraham's life & the lessons we should learn from him.

A Wife for Isaac. Sarah dies when she's 127. Abraham send his servant to get a wife for Isaac from his homeland. Abraham tells him that God will send His angel before him to prepare the way & the servant prays a very specific prayer for guidance. This prayer is a great example to us as to how to pray when we are tying to discern the will of God. God quickly gives him a definitive answer. The response is that of praise and willing obedience. If it is God's will then who are we to fight against that

Jesus as our Sacrifice. God tests His people at times. Abraham has incredible faith in the Lord and it continues to grow. When we exhibit our faith to those around us, as Abraham did for Isaac, it grows their faith too. There are many parallels between Abraham and God, and Isaac and Jesus.