God Protects Jacob and His Family (Gen. 35:5)

 

Spiritual Diary FOR 04-18-2007

 

My Worship Time                                 Focus:  God’s protection for Jacob and his family

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                           Reference:  Genesis 35:5

 

            Message of the verse:  “5  As they journeyed, there was a great terror upon the cities which were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.”

           

            These are the Words that God spoke to Jacob in Genesis 28:15  "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

           

            Dr. Wiersbe writes, “When God’s people are doing God’s will in God’s way, they can depend on God protection and provision.” He also writes, “When we fear God we need not fear anyone else.” 

           

            Jacob had every reason to be frightened of the people who were living around him, for after all his family had just killed many people and now they were leaving and going to Bethel, yet this verse says that God put great terror upon these neighboring people and so they did not pursue Jacob and his family.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I see this kind of thing throughout the Scriptures, and what it is that I see is God accomplishing His will by protecting His people who are doing His will, just as Dr. Wiersbe writes.  Before Israel began to invade the land after coming from Egypt and wandering in the wilderness for forty years, the people of that land were very much afraid of them, and it was God who put this fear in them so that He could accomplish His will through Israel.

 

The Word of God has been refreshing to my as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  There has been much going on in our household over these past weeks.  Sandy and I visited Aruba for two weeks and then came home and I went to PA for a safety training class, which was difficult on me due to my IBS.  With great difficulty we decided that it would be best if Sandy went ahead with her foot surgery, and so we began to put things in motion for that, but the phone call came from her female Dr. that it is entirely possible that she has the beginnings of breast cancer and so the surgery had to be canceled and we are to move forward to find out what will happen now.  I can see God moving in all of this, yet it does seem a bit strange in how He is moving, for I am not at all sure the path that He is leading us down, yet I do KNOW for sure that He is in control and will protect us just as He protected Jacob and his family.