Jacob had hoodwinked the birthright from his older brother Esau and fled to Mesopotamia. Now, two decades later, he was returning to Canaan. Would Esau be resolute on revenge? Or would he let bygones be bygones?
So God gave Jacob some assurance. He revealed the army of angels that surrounded him. Rank upon rank, they moved in the sky like iridescent waves of the aurora borealis.
Jacob, for the first time that we know of in twenty years, offered a prayer: “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac,…I am not worthy of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant…Please deliver me from the hand of my brother,…” (Genesis 32:9-11).
Who is this Jacob? He prays like a man who depends on God’s goodness. A good example for us all.
