Title Alone Blessing
Contents
Hymn: 349 “I Want to Be Helped of the Lord”
Meditation: Often when we are alone and lonely, we can have a deep encounter with God.
Confession of Faith: Apostles' Creed
Text: “The gift went before him, and he got up from the night in the midst of the crowd, and he took his two wives, two maidservants, and eleven sons across the Jabbok Ferry. wrestled with Jacob all day long” (Genesis 32:21-24).
Word: Being alone is hard and lonely. However, people sometimes have to be alone to have valuable experiences. Especially for Christians, being alone is a golden opportunity to meet God deeply.
Jacob went to his maternal uncle Laban's house in Haran and lived abroad for about 20 years. Although he was under his maternal uncle Laban, who was a terrible man, he also accumulated quite a lot of money. My maternal uncle did work, but he did not pay me properly. But Jacob was a blessing from God. This made Jacob rich. After living abroad for 20 years, he had eleven sons and a daughter from two wives and two female servants. Jacob is now on his way home from his hometown.
But Jacob still had concerns. It was because he tricked his older brother 20 years ago to receive the blessing of the firstborn and run away. It's a big deal if your brother still holds a grudge. Because of this, Jacob is not happy on his way home. Unsurprisingly, when I heard the news, Esau was coming out with 400 men to meet him. It's an obvious situation. It wouldn't be a welcoming atmosphere.
Genesis 32 clearly shows how serious Jacob is in this situation. When Jacob crosses the Jabbok River in front of him, he meets Esau. Worried, Jacob skips ahead several times a gift for his brother. And after letting the family and the beast cross the river, they are left alone.
At this time, Jacob meets God again and receives a blessing. When we laid down everything, such as wealth, status, family, and knowledge, we met God. It is important to let go of everything I have. The more we worry, the more we should long for God.
Prayer: Lord, help us continue to practice our time alone and in-depth encounters with you in our lives. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Lord's Prayer