When we
turn to the Bible for examples of how we should pray, perhaps the first prayer
that comes to mind is the one known as the “model prayer,” which Jesus taught
His disciples when they asked for instruction in praying. Also known as “The
Lord’s Prayer,” this prayer has been dissected, written about, preached about,
and prayed innumerable times in the thousands of years since Jesus first
uttered it. But it’s not the only prayer in Scripture from which we can learn.
Men and
women of the faith throughout biblical history have offered prayers to God from
a myriad of emotional states, and these prayers often serve as examples for us
in how to pray. One of these is found in Genesis 32, and I think it could be
considered another model prayer. If you’re not familiar with the life of Jacob,
here’s a brief recap for the backstory.
Jacob and
his older twin brother Esau were the grandsons of Abraham and the sons of Isaac
and Rebekah. The twins were nothing alike, and through a series of events
recorded in Genesis 25 and 27, Jacob managed to buy his brother’s birthright
with a bowl of soup (yes, you read that right) and then deceive their father
Isaac to steal Esau’s blessing at the urging of their conniving mother. Not
surprisingly, Esau was furious when he learned of Jacob’s betrayal and vowed to
kill him as soon as their father died. (Ironically, Isaac would live for over
twenty more years, but they didn’t know that at the time.)
Again at
his mother’s urging, Jacob fled to escape Esau’s wrath and journeyed to the
home of his maternal uncle where he ended up marrying his two cousins, Leah and
Rachel (see Genesis 28-29). Between Leah, Rachel, and their two servants, Jacob
fathered eleven sons and a daughter (another son would be born later) and
experienced his own share of deceit at the hands of his uncle/father-in-law
Laban (see Genesis 29-30).
Eventually,
Jacob had had enough of his father-in-law’s treatment and decided to move his
family back to the land of his birth. After one last run-in with Laban (see
Genesis 31), we come to Genesis 32 where Jacob sent word ahead to alert his
brother Esau of his approach. When the messengers returned, they reported to
Jacob that Esau was on his way to meet him, and he wasn’t alone—four hundred
men were coming with him. The Bible doesn’t leave us to wonder how Jacob felt
at the news: “Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed” (Gen. 32:7a, ESV).
He proceeded to divide his family, servants, and livestock into two camps (Gen.
32:7b-8) and then turned to God in prayer:
“O God
of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD who said to me, ‘Return
to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,’ I am not worthy
of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that
you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan,
and now I have become two camps. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother,
from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the
mothers with the children. But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make
your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude’” (Gen. 32:9-12, ESV).
I think
there are several things to note in Jacob’s prayer. First of all, we see that
he began by addressing God as the God of his father and grandfather (v.9a).
Later in Genesis, he referred to God as his own shepherd (Gen. 48:15), but here
he started with his ancestors’ connection to God. By stating the relationship
God had with his forebears, Jacob was acknowledging that he was part of a
legacy of faith and one in a line of men who had a personal relationship with
God and experienced his faithfulness.
Next, he
recounted a command and promise that God gave him specifically (v. 9b). Note he
used the name “LORD” in all caps, which signifies the covenantal, relational
name of God, Yahweh. He was claiming God’s promise to do him good as he had
obeyed God’s command to return home, even as he next acknowledged that he was
unworthy of such a promise (v. 10). He recalled “all the deeds of steadfast
love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant,” including
blessing him exponentially with increased family and possessions, and after
reading his track record in the preceding chapters of Genesis, we see that
Jacob was right to show such humility. He wasn’t exactly the most upstanding
human being.
After
voicing his relationship to God, recalling God’s promise, and showing gratitude
for his undeserved blessings, he uttered his request for deliverance (v. 11).
And why was he making this request? Because he was afraid. He was afraid that
Esau would still be as angry as on the day Jacob left two decades earlier and
would attack him and his family, and he clearly stated his fear before God. But
he didn’t wallow in it. He quickly turned his focus back to God’s promises, “I
fear him […] But you said, ‘I will surely do you good […]’” (v. 12,
emphasis added). He combated his fear by reciting the truth of God’s words and
claiming once again His promise.
It was that
very night that God appeared to Jacob in the flesh, wrestled with him, and
blessed him. And God did indeed deliver Jacob and his family from Esau’s hand.
Whether it was through giving Jacob wisdom to send gifts to Esau, softening
Esau’s heart towards his brother, or some combination of the two, God brought
it about that the estranged twins were able to reunite in peace (see Genesis
32-33).
So what can
we learn from the content and structure of Jacob’s prayer? Just like Jacob, we
would do well to approach God with an acknowledgement of who He is and who we
are in relation to Him. Whether from our physical family or our spiritual one, as
followers of Christ, we come from a long legacy of faith and can trace the
faithfulness of God not only in our own lives but in the lives of those who
have gone before us.
We also,
like Jacob, are all God’s servants and are unworthy of the blessings He has
given us precisely because as His beloved creatures we rebelled against Him and
failed to live up to His good and holy intentions for our lives. And yet, His
steadfast love and faithfulness pursued us even after we exalted ourselves
above Him in our own estimation, and He has done immeasurable good to us.
When we
pray, it is always a good idea, like Jacob did, to recount God’s commands and promises,
not because God needs reminding, but because we do. We are so prone to forget
or live as if we don’t believe what God has promised, so we must be diligent to
keep telling ourselves the truth until we start living like it’s true—and then
keep telling ourselves the truth some more. And when we come to our requests,
we can couch them, like Jacob did, in a context of God’s enduring promises for
our lives.
Notice,
also, that Jacob did not shy away from honesty with God. He clearly stated,
“for I fear [Esau].” How often do we hold back in admitting our feelings to God
because we think they will present us as weak or even disobedient? We know God
tells us not to be afraid, and yet when we are, instead of running to Him with
our fear and asking Him to help us defeat it, we try to distract ourselves,
numb it away, or hide it—as if we can hide anything from God. Instead, may we
be like Jacob who bared his heart before the Lord, asked for help, and clung to
the promises of God in the face of fear.
I hope this
look at Jacob’s prayer has encouraged you as you examine your own prayer life.
I hope you’ll join me in seeking to ground ourselves in the past faithfulness,
present blessings, and future promises of God and will keep our eyes open as we
read other prayers in Scripture, remaining aware of how they might be
instructive as we seek to grow in our relationship with our Creator and Savior.
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