6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. 7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands; 8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape. 9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. 11 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. 12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude (Genesis 32:6-12).
Living by faith is difficult because we don’t know the future. Of course if we knew the exact details of how our future life would work out there wouldn’t be much need to live in the present by faith. It is by mercy though that God only tells us that He will never leave us and that in the end He will save us, while leaving the details of exactly how our life will go to His knowledge alone. This is so God can provide to us what we need, when we need it. The point then of our present and future circumstances is for us to rely on God: And so it was with Jacob.
Living by faith is difficult because we don’t know the future. Of course if we knew the exact details of how our future life would work out there wouldn’t be much need to live in the present by faith. It is by mercy though that God only tells us that He will never leave us and that in the end He will save us, while leaving the details of exactly how our life will go to His knowledge alone. This is so God can provide to us what we need, when we need it. The point then of our present and future circumstances is for us to rely on God: And so it was with Jacob.
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