The God of Unlimited Abundance

The first thing I thought of this morning when I awoke -- as I was making my coffee -- was the Prayer of Jacob:  If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then [Yaweh] will be my God.  This stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me, I will give you a tenth (Gen. 28:20-22 ).

My thoughts at that time ran along the lines of wondering if God is pleased with such a 'bargaining' prayer -- in Jacob's case, He certainly did not seem to mind Jacob's boldness in asking for his 'daily bread' and necessities...."if you will do this," Jacob promised, "You will be my God."

Imagine my surprise after I had secured the treasured cup of coffee and sat down to read Give Us This Day, my daily reflection and prayer book.  The introductory reflection on the week's readings centered on the Prayer of Jacob, the very one that entered my mind upon awakening.  We often wonder whether God really speaks to us in our meandering thoughts, but this certainly seemed to be more than a coincidence to me.  So I read the introduction slowly, pen in hand to mark significant passages.  Then I read the Scripture readings and psalms, and the reflections on the daily reading.

Putting Jacob's Prayer into context with a bit of study and reflection was a revelation for me and answered the question uppermost in my mind.  Jacob was not 'bargaining' with God at all; he was not wheeling and dealing with the Divine Presence, as he had done most of his life.  In fact, the name "Jacob" means "cheater" or 'grabber," and Jacob had certainly lived up to the meaning of his name.  He had to flee Beersheba to his uncle Laban in Haran because he had cheated his brother Esau out of the inheritance due to the oldest son.  He had deceived his father into giving him the blessing due to the oldest son.  And now he was in fear for his life.

In this case, though, Jacob was not the dealer.  While he slept, God gave him a vision and a promise:  all peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring -- the same promise given to Jacob's grandfather, Abraham.  But the promise continued:  I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land.  I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you (Gen. 28:14-15).  The initiative in this case was wholly the Lord's.  When Jacob awoke, he was amazed:  Surely [Yahweh] is in this place, and I was not aware of it!  He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place!  This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."

Jacob's prayer and promise to the Lord was a response to what God had revealed to him.  First, God made a promise to Jacob, and then Jacob responded to God, using the very words and promises that God Himself had already spoken:  if you will do what you have said, then you will be my God, and I will be your son.

We might say that this was the moment of conversion for Jacob, from 'cheater' and 'grabber' to 'receiver of the promises of God.'  And what a conversion that is for each one of us!  John tells us, "This is what love is....not that we have first loved God, but that He has first loved us and sent His Son to redeem us from our sins."

When we stop manipulating the world around us for our own benefit and begin to listen seriously to the words and plans of God for us, we have entered onto a new plane of existence.  Now we are praying "Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done" instead of "Help me get my kingdom and my will done."  When we say to the Lord, "Do all that you have promised to me," we are trusting Him with our lives, not bargaining with Him for position and power.  When we know the words of God and they have entered our hearts and minds, we can say back to Him the words He has said to us, knowing that He cannot go back on His words and His promises. 

Imagine the confidence with which Jacob continued on his journey, knowing that the Lord God, the God of his fathers Abraham and Isaac, was with him on the way.  He could not fail because he knew from the family history that God had not failed his fathers.  Despite all he endured for the next 21 years or so from his uncle Laban, he knew for sure that he would eventually return to the land of his birth, and he also knew that land would belong to his descendants.  He had heard the promises of God, and that was where his trust lay.

May we all listen carefully to what God has promised us and pray the prayer of Jacob, using the very words and promises of God.