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An unflinching reliance on God…. (devo reflection)

Genesis 28:18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 

When I read verses 20-22, I think cue God’s wrath. I don’t remember Jacob as a doubter, a bargainer, and “if–then”-er, but here we are. He’s promising that the Lord will be his God IF 1. He is with him, 2. He watches over him on this journey, 3. He gives him food AND clothes AND returns him safely to his father’s house. Wow.

Genesis 28:19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.

Don’t get me wrong. Lessons that lead to an unflinching reliance on God are incredibly hard, painful lessons that can generally only be learned through loss and heartache. I’ve been there before–the prayers, the tears, the bargaining. But what God truly wants for us and from us is to trust Him EVEN IF things don’t go the way WE want them to.

Genesis 28:20-21 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God… 

Precious Savior, One of the dearest gifts I have is to know that You are with me, that You love me, that You are for me EVEN IF, EVEN WHEN life comes crashing down around my feet. It is hard to say Thank You for a lesson learned so painfully and at so personal a cost, but to know that I can trust You and lean on You ALWAYS is such a blessing. Thank You. Amen.

Genesis 28:22 …and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” 

Have a blessed day.

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Even when life feels overwhelming and chaotic…. (devo reflection)

Genesis 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 

Lord, I cling to the promises of Genesis 28:15–that you are with me, that You will watch over me wherever I go, that you will bring me back to You, that You will not leave me. Help me never to forget Your promises. Even when life feels overwhelming and chaotic, You are with me, You are watching over me, You will bring me back to You, You will not leave me.

Genesis 28:15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Lord, Forgive me that I struggle so with worry, doubt, and fear, which happens so very often. Help me, even in my fear, to remember Your promises. Bring me back to You. Help me to lay my worries and fears at Your feet. Wrap me in You peace.

Genesis 28:16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”

Lord, I don’t deserve the love You so freely lavish upon me, but I am so very grateful for it. I don’t deserve the promises You have given me, but I am so very grateful for them. Help me to lay my burdens down, Lord. Help me to trust and believe. Amen.

Genesis 28:17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” 

Have a blessed day.

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Away from the world…. (devo reflection)

Genesis 28:10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 

My husband and sons are the hikers and campers in our family, but I have been known to both hike and camp on occasion. Sometimes the hike is a slog through mud, rocks, and weeds. But sometimes the hike leads to amazing vistas where God’s sovereignty is on full display for all.

Genesis 28:11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 

And just like Jacob who has a dream as he’s hiking that allows him to see how close God really is, when I’m away from the world with just the necessities, it is so much easier for me to look for and see God, to listen and actually hear Him.

Genesis 28:12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 

Precious Savior, Thank You that I can see and hear You when I am in nature. Help me to make intentional time to walk in Your world and listen for Your voice. Help me to remember that You are with me always–not only in nature but also in the chaos of everyday life. Help me to intentionally look for You, intentionally listen for You, help me to see and hear You each day, no matter my circumstances. Amen.

Genesis 28:13 There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 

Have a blessed day.

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Even in our messiness…. (devo reflection)

Genesis 28:6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,” 

Back in Genesis 25, Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. He let his temporal, corporeal self rule and made a very poor decision. When he learns that Canaanite women are displeasing to his father, he intentionally marries a non-Canaanite woman in an attempt to….What? Please his father? Show his obedience? Get back into his graces?

Genesis 28:7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. 

Honestly, I’m not exactly sure what Esau is trying to do here, but what I do know is that we all mess up–sometimes creating huge, ugly messes. And while we can never undo what’s done, we can make amends to the Father. We can intentionally live life in a way that we know will be pleasing to Him.

Genesis 28:8 Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; 

Precious Savior, Life is messy. We are messy. Thank You that our messes aren’t the end of us. Thank You for Your fierce love and amazing grace, for second chances, for the ability to discern what is pleasing to You and to begin each day anew, striving to bring You glory. Help us to show others the same grace that You lavish upon us, even in our messiness. Amen.

Genesis 28:9 so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.

Have a blessed day.

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Beauty and grace from our mess…. (devo reflection)

Genesis 28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman.   

When I first pulled up today’s scripture, I was tempted to find a different chapter for my devos this week. But I decided to read commentary on Genesis 28 to see if I could discern why God sent me here. One section of commentary stuck out to me: “Each of the four parties in the whole birthright mess acted in an unspiritual manner somewhere along the line. The amazing thing is that God brought any good out of all this. This was a triumph of God’s sovereignty.”

Genesis 28:2 Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.

Humans acting in an unspiritual manner. God’s triumphant sovereignty bringing good from the mess. THAT is a tale as old as time. Humans mess up. A lot. God is sovereign. Always. He can bring beauty and grace from our mess. He DOES bring beauty and grace from our mess. Thank You, Jesus.

Genesis 28:3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples.

Lord, Even when my heart is in the right place, even when I try, I can still make a grand mess of things. Thank you for Your mercy, grace, and sovereignty. Thank you that You can use ALL things for my good and Your glory. Thank You. Amen.

Genesis 28:4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now reside as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”

Have a blessed day.

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But what can I do? (devo reflection)

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A healing gift…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 29:19 For they have not listened to my words,” declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the Lord.   

We all want to be heard. And sometimes, just feeling like you are heard, truly heard, can be life-changing. And in the realm of not listening to God’s words, I expect we all at one time or another are guilty of not listening. I know I am. God has given us the ability to edify each other, to build each other up. Listening, truly listening is one of the ways we can do that.

Jeremiah 29:20 Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

David Joy, an Appalachian writer, once said, “Sometimes the greatest gift we can give someone is just to keep our mouths shut and let them empty themselves into our hands. When they’re finished, we don’t need to do anything with what they’ve given us. We just need to show them that we’re holding it for them till they can catch their breath.” This is the gift of listening.

Jeremiah 29:21 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you in my name: “I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the ability to listen–to You and to each other. Forgive me for the many times I’ve squandered that opportunity. Help me to read, to hear, to listen to Your words and Your wisdom. Help me to use my ability to listen as a healing gift for others. Always. Amen.

Jeremiah 29:22 Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned in the fire.’ 

Have a blessed day.

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Even when my heart is breaking…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 29:15 You may say, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,”   

Seventy years in exile doesn’t sound like a picnic, but God has told the exiles that He wants them to live–marry, have children, build houses, encourage the children to marry and have children–to become a part of life in exile. He tells them that He will hear them when they pray, they will find Him when they seek Him faithfully. They are in exile, but He is still with them.

Jeremiah 29:16 but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile—

However, those left behind, those not in exile, will face sword, famine, and plague. They will be made abhorrent to the kings on earth. Even though at first blush exile seems like a punishment, in light of today’s verses, it definitely seems the better option.

Jeremiah 29:17 yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten.

Lord, When I am focused on the disappointment of my plans, it is hard for me to think about Your plan and the things you might be protecting me from, saving me from, by not allowing my plans to come to fruition. It’s hard to thank You for my broken dreams. But I know You love me–deeply, fiercely, eternally. I know You want Your best for me. Help me to trust You always, even when my heart is breaking. Amen.

Jeremiah 29:18 I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse and an object of horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. 

Have a blessed day.

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Even though…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

The overarching message I get from Jeremiah 29 thus far is that even though God has sent the Israelites into exile, even though He has said He will leave them there for 70 years, He isn’t abandoning them. He doesn’t want them miserable. He isn’t inaccessible to them.

Jeremiah 29:14a I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.

Even though He has sent them away, He hasn’t turned His back on them. He wants them to marry, have children, become a part of the community. He wants them to seek Him, to pray to Him. Even though this move is not what the Israelites want, it is part of God’s master plan. They can trust Him. He is with them even now.

Jeremiah 29:14b …I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord,

Lord, I struggle with so much in this text–the need for people to be exiled, the length of the exile, the fact that You tell them to wait, for 70 years, in joyful hope, giving their all each day. What I don’t struggle with is that You are still with them. You still love them deeply. You still listen to their prayers. Help me to cling to what I know–Your deep and abiding love. Help me to trust. Amen.

Jeremiah 29:14c …“and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

Have a blessed day.

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Clinging to His promises…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 29:10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.  

Verses 11, 12, and 13 have always filled me with such hope and joy, but verse 10 sure is a conversation stopper, isn’t it? My humanity gets caught up on the reality of seventy years–SEVENTY YEARS–in exile.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

In His sovereignty, this news is positive because it is truth–this exile won’t be quick as false prophets claim, but there will be an end. And even in exile, even though all that is familiar is far away, God still has a plan for them, He still hears them when they pray, He is still present if they seek Him with all their hearts.

Jeremiah 29:12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 

Lord, There is so much that I don’t understand, but I trust You. I don’t like the idea of separation, but I recognize that there are things that I do that push me away from You. I don’t like waiting, but I know that my timing and Your timing are not the same. I don’t like pain and heartache, but I know that I am limited by my earthly understanding. Help me to remember that Your thoughts are nothing like my thoughts, and Your ways are far beyond anything I can imagine (Isaiah 55:8). Help me to cling to Your promises. Amen.

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 

Have a blessed day.