It’s a New Day!

Our ministry once had a consultant come in who ran some sort of test on all of our team to determine gifts/talents and “teachable” weaknesses 🙂 I had lots of those!

The bottom line “label” that he put on me was “Quick Start”. In fact, he said through all his years of testing, I had the highest “Quick Start” score he had ever seen.

I was not so surprised.

I have always known that one of my greatest weaknesses is that I speak too soon, act before I should, and push the SEND button way to easily. It has truly amazed me over the years to see God still use me in His Kingdom work. There are times when I feel it is some kind of ethereal mistake and that one day I’ll be “found out” by God and He will realize that I have slipped into the family business and hand me a pink slip.

I am just kidding of course. I have served God and mined His Word for far too many years to really believe that.

Anyway, I am journaling my way through the Bible and am currently wallowing in Jacob’s weaknesses found in Genesis. This morning’s Prayer Chair time rested upon Genesis 32. I discovered, in a NEW way, some things that I thought I might share, hoping that you will relate and be encouraged.

Here are my journal notes:

Genesis 32       Jacob Returns to his Esau (My Title)

I love reading this story. It reminds me how often God requires us to “GO BACK” in some form or fashion, to return to the place of our brokenness, our sin, our loss, our heartbreak, our separation from our God planned destiny. (Jer 1:5)

In this Chapter, Jacob finally yields to God’s plan and PRAYS. It is the first time Jacob is recorded to be praying since his last encounter with God at Bethel—the place he started running! (Gen 28) Now I would be very inclined to think…

How stupid can one get. To have an encounter with God. Have Him give you specific direction THEN proceed to make and act out you own plan.

How STUPID can one get???? (LOL!)

As the story continues we get such a priceless perspective on how faithful God is to pursue His children, to drag us BACK into His plans, to get us on HIS course once again.

Jacob is a master of plan making and a “Quick Start” that I would love to have tested so that I would no longer be the “HIGHEST” score in this field. Maybe.

He set up his own plan with Laban that took him YEARS into hard labor and woman trouble. (although he did have a bit of man-fun to keep himself distracted from the wandering at hand).

Even when Jacob finally LISTENED to God (Gen 31:3), he continued  to create his own plan to protect himself and what he wanted which is where he started way back in Gen 25. This guy was a SLOW learning Quick Start….hhhmmmm…

I love Gen 32:16, AFTER seeing Angels all around him and his family, AFTER praying and surrendering to God’s plan, Jacob STILL organized the troops to “GO AHEAD OF ME” towards Esau. You know, just in case he is in a bad mood 🙂

What a COWARD…right?

Wrong.

What a Chosen son of God.

God knows our weaknesses.

I have admitted a FEW of mine. An overactive action button. Impatience. Lack of Self-discipline. ect.ect.ect…

BUT GOD…

Still loves me.

Still leads me,

Still opens BIG doors for me.

Still allows me to be a part of His Kingdom plans.

Still keeps me in the family.

Sometimes, it takes a wrestling match and a few displaced body parts, but our GOD does not leave us or forsake us. He never gives up. He is always working, loving, communicating, leading and opening new doors.

Genesis 32:31 says it all.

A New Day Started.

Is this yours???? It can be.