In Genesis, chapter thirty-two, verse nine, Jacob was fearful and distressed as he approached Esau’s territory. Would he and his family suffer violence at Esau’s hand because of Jacob’s deception more than twenty years earlier?
Jacob is terrified to hear that his estranged brother, Esau, is riding in his direction with four hundred men. Jacob has good reason to believe Esau is coming to kill him. Twenty years prior, Jacob fled home to escape his brother’s revenge after Jacob fooled their elderly father and stole Esau’s blessing. How will Jacob respond to this fear? Despite his reputation for selfish scheming, his attempt to “plan” here actually makes a lot of sense.
In this situation, Jacob prays to God for help. His prayer is a pattern for all believers who find themselves in life-threatening circumstances. Jacob reminded God of His promise of care and protection for those who follow God’s will. In awareness of Jacob’s unworthiness, he expressed his gratitude for God’s past blessing and help. He prayed for God’s deliverance and stated the ultimate reason for requesting God’s protection was to fulfill God’s covenant promises for his life.
And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto my country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:
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 become two bands.
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.
And thou saidst I will surely do thee good and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot number for multitude.”