Daily Devotion, June 9, 2020

Devotion: Read Genesis 27:1-41.

Sometimes looking back on our life is hard, especially if it’s filled with mistakes. Late in his life, Jacob summed up his past, “My years have been few and difficult.” (Genesis 47:9) There is no doubt one of his biggest mistakes was when he deceived his father and took away the blessing from his twin brother. When his mother shared her deceitful plan, Jacob hesitated for fear of getting caught. Even though his hesitation was out of fear, he was still experiencing a moment of reflection that could have prevented him from sinning against God. God speaks to us in the gaps of time between considering a sin and sinning. Nevertheless, Jacob carried out the plan. He received the blessing, but it came with a price. He never saw his mother again; his brother wanted to kill him; his family was torn with conflict; and he was exiled from his family for many years. Imagine how different his life would have been if he had listened to God in the gap instead of his mother. Twenty years later Jacob and Esau were united. God eventually changed Jacob’s name to Israel because “you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” (Genesis 32:28) Despite Jacob’s faults, God chose him to be the leader of a great nation that still bears his name today. Personal Worship Option: Whatever mistakes you’ve made in the past, God will forgive them. Ask him today to forgive your past. Commit to listen to his still small voice when you are tempted to sin against him. Thank him for his redeeming.