Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, Lord, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’  I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps. Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children.
Genesis 32:9-11

---

Jacob had wronged Esau twice. Genesis 25:29-31 says, “Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, ‘Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!’ (That is why he was also called Edom.) Jacob replied, ‘First sell me your birthright.’” 

Then again, in Genesis 27, with the help of his Mother, he dresses like Esau to obtain the blessings of the firstborn from his dying Father.

So, in today’s Scripture, we can see why Jacob had every reason to fear the possibility of his brother’s long-simmering revenge. But he also knew God as a loving God of blessings, so he prayed a humble, honest prayer pleading for safety.

I was 27 years old with a 9-month-old baby and a husband on a home hemodialysis machine. One evening, as I was monitoring his machine, I made an error that caused him great pain. After I cleaned up and brought out all the tubing to the outside trash bins, I crumbled in the corner of the kitchen with my own defeated, raw prayer for help and safety. The Lord answered with sound sleep, a fresh morning and a dear husband who, with a kiss on my forehead, sighed, “Stop beating yourself up. I’m fine.”

I have heard people say they don’t want to bother God with trivial requests. I have heard people say God wouldn’t answer their prayers because of the mistakes they have made or the sins they committed. They created their own problems, so why should they expect God to help them out? But Jesus taught us to pray to Abba Father—a Father who gives good gifts to his children (Matthew 7:11). 

Our loving, heavenly Father is a God who takes the contrite confession of both premeditated and accidental errors and makes a path in the darkness to the light. He is a Savior who comes beside the unworthy and makes them whole. He is the Spirit that surrounds us with the confidence and courage to move forward when the future is unknown. He loves to pour out his blessings on thankful children.

If Jacob could recall this about God, without knowing Jesus or having the Holy Spirit, I think we can, too. 

Next Steps

You can pray with ACTS to help guide your prayers—Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. Look for all those elements in Jacob’s prayer.