Jacob’s vow: making a deal with God

In times of uncertainty or doubt, many of us have prayed, “Lord, IF You will ___(fill in the blank), THEN I will ___(fill in the blank.)” That’s what Jacob did.

This son of Isaac and twin brother of Esau didn't know if God would be with him the way He had been with Jacob’s grandfather Abraham. He’d undoubtedly heard his family’s stories of faith, but maybe he thought that tricking his brother and his father had put him on the outs with God.

Now on the run from his brother’s wrath, Jacob fled toward his mother’s family many, many miles away. Alone and in new terrain, he made a vow to God in this prayer:

Genesis 28:20-22

from the King James Version of the Bible
and the Book of KJV prayers

And Jacob vowed a vow, saying,

If God will be with me,

and will keep me in this way that I go,

and will give me bread to eat,

and raiment to put on,

So that I come again

to my father's house in peace;

then shall the Lord be my God:

And this stone,

which I have set for a pillar,

shall be God's house:

and of all that thou shalt give me

I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

Genesis 28:20-21

paraphrase of Jacob’s prayer-vow

from the Book of Bible Prayers 

Lord God, if You will be with me

and

watch over me wherever I go

and

provide me with necessities

and

get me safely home,

then

You will be my God.

God did indeed take care of Jacob, whom He later renamed "Israel" and blessed with twelve sons who became the tribal chiefs of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

 

Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019

…

A servant’s prayer

The aging Abraham must have completely trusted his eldest servant to send the man on such a long journey and important mission: To travel to Abraham and Sarah’s homeland to get a wife for their son Isaac.

Genesis 24:12 – a prayer of Abraham’s servant

from the King James Version of the Bible
and the Book of KJV prayers

"And he said

O Lord God of my master Abraham,

I pray thee,

send me good speed this day,

and shew kindness

unto my master Abraham."

Genesis 24:12 prayer paraphrased
from the Book of Bible Prayers 

"Oh, Lord

God of my master,

please grant me

success today

and show

Your steadfast

love!"

Today, the Lord Himself is our Master! So we can be sure of His positive response to us as we pray this servant’s prayer and go about, doing God’s will.

Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019

…

The prayer of Hagar: God sees!

Year after year, Abraham and Sarah waited for the child God had promised to them, but when nothing happened, they decided to take matters into their own hands. Sarah offered her Egyptian maid to her husband as a means of having a child, and Abraham obliged!

Once Hagar knew a baby was on the way, she treated her mistress with contempt. This undoubtedly burdened Sarah even more, knowing she’d failed to give Abraham a child, while her maid had not.

With Hagar’s haughtiness more than Sarah could bear, she, in essence, gave her husband an ultimatum. Abraham responded by telling his wife to do as she pleased. Sarah did. She treated Hagar so harshly, the woman ran away.

As Hagar wandered alone in the wilderness, an Angel of the Lord appeared and  told her she would have a son, whom she was to name Ishmael. Meanwhile, the Lord wanted Hagar to return to her mistress and be respectful to Sarah.

Realizing she was not alone and the Lord was with her, Hagar expressed her joy and relief in this brief prayer that speaks for us too.

Genesis 16:13 – a prayer of Hagar

You are EL Roi!

You are the God Who sees me!

You watch over me.

Paraphrased by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019, in the Book of Bible Prayers.

Prayers of Abraham

When God called to him, Abraham heard and responded, “Here I am, Lord.”  When God asked him to intercede for a man he had wronged, Abraham obeyed.

This patriarch of God’s people is lauded as an example of true faith and closeness to God, but few of his actual prayers have been recorded.

Genesis 15:2

O Lord God, what will You give me?

Will I need an inheritance

if I have no child?

Genesis 17:18

Oh, that my child

might live in Your

presence, Lord,

and be under Your

blessing!

Genesis 18:23, 32

Lord, would You really sweep away

the righteous with the wicked?

What if ten honorable people

are found?

And God answered:

For the sake of ten,

I will not destroy the town.

Paraphrased by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019, in  the Book of Bible Prayers.

…

Praying with Abraham for our children

Abraham, the great patriarch of three major religions, talked with God often, but the Bible records very few of his actual prayers. Here’s one we, too, might pray for our children.

Genesis 17:18 – a prayer of Abraham

Oh, that my child

might live in Your

presence, Lord,

and be under Your

blessing!

paraphrased by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019

from the Book of Bible Prayers: actual Bible prayers 

collected and prayer-a-phrased from God’s Word

…

Blessing, vow, pledge, and promise

“Isaac called for Jacob, blessed him, and said, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman but hurry to the house of your grandfather in Paddan-aram and marry one of your uncle Laban’s daughters. May God Almighty bless you with many children, and may your descendants become many nations. May God pass on to you and your descendants the blessings promised to Abraham, and may you possess this land where you now live as a stranger, for God gave this land to Abraham,” Genesis 28:1-4.

After getting the family blessing he had deceptively wangled from his twin brother Esau, Jacob obeyed his father and set off on a journey of a few hundred lonely miles to find a wife.

And so, “Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. Before sunset he arrived at a good place to stop for the night and set up camp. When he found a stone for a pillow, Jacob lay down to sleep, and as he slept, he dreamed of a ladder (or stairway) reaching from earth to heaven with angels of God going up and down. At the top of the ladder stood the LORD, Who said, ‘I Am the LORD, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. The ground you are lying on now belongs to you. I Am giving it to you and your descendants, who will be as numerous as the dust of the earth. They will spread in all directions—to west and east, to north and south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. More importantly, I Am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. Someday I will bring you back to this land, but I will not leave you until I have given you everything I promised.’ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place‘," Genesis 28:10-16.

“The next morning Jacob got up early and carefully placed the stone pillow as a pillar to remind him where he had been visited by God. He then poured olive oil over the stone and named the place Bethel (meaning house of God) even though it had previously been called Luz. Then Jacob made this vow, ‘If God will indeed be with me and if He will protect me on my journey, and if He will provide me with food and clothing, and if I get safely back to my father’s home, then the LORD will be my God. And this memorial pillar I set up will become a place to worship God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything He gives me.” Genesis 28:18-22.

Even though Jacob deceived his father (at his mother’s suggestion!) he inherited the blessings God had promised Abraham. God honored this, too, by giving the young man a vision of heaven and by renewing the covenant He had made with Jacob’s family on earth.

As it’s been said, God has no grandchildren. And so, this vision let Jacob see that, like his father and grandfather, he, too, now had a direct relationship with God, even though his ambivalent response did not include worship but wariness.

Question: When you make a promise to God, does it contain contingencies or escape clauses as did the “if’s” of Jacob? Do you think Jacob showed lack of faith by delaying worship and acceptance of the LORD as his God? Or did he believe God meant exactly what He said? After all, God Himself had promised to stay with Jacob until He had fulfilled His promises, which then gave the young man plenty of time to decide!

Prayer: Dear LORD God Almighty, thank You for honoring Your promises whether we deserve such an honor or not! Thank You for Your faithfulness and devotion to us even when our faith ebbs and we put off devoting time to You. Forgive us our uncertainties about You, and help us to worship You in Spirit and in truth – forever but also right now.

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© 2012, Mary Sayler, all rights reserved.

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Praying for purpose, praying for peace

“This records the family of Isaac, the son of Abraham: When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. Isaac pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife because she had no children. The Lord answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. When the two children struggled in her womb, she asked the Lord why this was happening, and the Lord told her, ‘The sons in your womb will become two rival nations. One nation will be stronger than the other, and your older child will serve the younger,” Genesis 25:19-23.

Questions: With whom or what do you struggle? Is your old self struggling with your new self in God?

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, looking back at old ways and looking forward to new is like carrying twin thoughts that fight within me! Help me, Lord, to move forward into Your plan and purpose for my life with no fears and no regrets. Thank You for giving Your prayers, Your guidance, Your peace to me and all You want me to be.

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© 2012, Mary Sayler, all rights reserved.

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Getting very specific in prayer

Background: Long after Abraham prayed for God to favor Ishmael, he and his wife Sarah brought up their son Isaac to become the heir whom God had named. Sometime before the young man turned thirty, his mother died and was buried in a cave that Abraham had purchased at full price near Mamre (also known as Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Despite the family ties to that area, Abraham did not want his son to marry a Canaanite woman. He was so adamant in fact that he made his chief servant swear to go to Abraham’s homeland and find Isaac a wife among their own kin.

The servant gave no objection to the request but showed concern for the success of his mission. When he asked Abraham what to do if no woman wanted to come home with him to meet Isaac, his master said, “The LORD God of heaven will send an angel before you,” Genesis 24:7-8. Abraham further assured the man that, if God did not take care of everything, the chief servant would be released from his oath. The man promised to obey his master’s request, and then, with ten camels loaded with gifts, the servant set off in the right direction.

When he reached the town of Nahor, he made the camels kneel near water as he stood to pray:

“’O LORD, God of Abraham, grant me success and show Your kindness to my master. Here I am, standing beside this well where the young women of the town come to draw water. So when I ask someone to let down her jar to give me a drink and she says yes and offers to give water to the camels also, oh, let her be the one You have chosen! This will let me know, too, that You have favored my master with a wife for his son Isaac.’

“Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with a water jug on her shoulder,” Genesis 24:12-15.

Questions: Does God ever answer our prayers before we even finish praying? Does God honor specific requests, especially if the answer enables us to do the very thing our Master wants?

Prayer: LORD God, sometimes I think I am the only master of my life! Forgive me, Lord, for treating You as my Servant, ready to do my bidding. Help me to keep my promises to You and anyone else to whom I have made a vow. Give me success, Lord, in obeying You and accomplishing everything You want me to do and be.

~~

© 2012, Mary Sayler, all rights reserved.

 

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God tells Abraham to pray for the person he had wronged

Background: Abraham’s wife Sarah had the kind of beauty that turned heads. Since Abraham feared he would be killed on her account and Sarah taken, he told everyone she was his sister, which, like most lies, had some basis of truth. They did indeed have the same father but different mothers, and so they had gotten married. This meant, of course, that Sarah was no longer free to marry someone else, but Abraham left out that important piece of information.

As they traveled into Gerar, Abraham introduced his wife to the king of the region as his sister. That night King Abimelech ordered the beautiful woman to be brought to his palace, but before anything could happen, God appeared to Abimelech in a dream, letting him know that Sarah was already married. Since the king had not slept with her yet, he protested, reminding God of his innocence and Abraham’s deception.

In the dream, God responded, telling Abimelech to return Sarah to her husband and His prophet Abraham would pray for the king. The next day, Abimelech got up early, called his servants together, and told them what had happened. Everyone was terrified and, maybe, horrified! The king then confronted Abraham, who explained his fear and why he had done what he’d done.

Afterwards King Abimelech not only returned Sarah to her husband, he gave Abraham some of his servants, livestock, land, and 1,000 pieces of silver!

“Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and servants,” Genesis 20:17.


Questions: Do our actions ever create potential problems for someone else? Has fear ever caused us to do something we would not have done otherwise? In what way does God want us to set things right, perhaps with an employer, employee, sibling, or spouse?

Prayer: LORD God, help me to be honest with you, myself, and others. Please make me aware of anyone I have wronged in any way, and help me to make amends. Thank You, Father of All, for Your ongoing forgiveness and love.

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© 2012, Mary Sayler, all rights reserved.

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Lot prays for a place to run and hide

Background: The people of Sodom had become so ungodly that God did not find even ten upright citizens throughout the entire city! Although Abraham’s nephew and family lived there, Lot may have sensed that he did not belong, or maybe he hoped to change the current conditions. Regardless of his reasons, he was sitting at the main gate – the traditional hang-out for city leaders – when he saw the approach of two of the angels who had just visited Abraham and Sarah.

Immediately, Lot hopped up, eager to offer the visitors fresh water, food, and a place of rest as, unbeknown to him, his uncle Abraham had done earlier. The angelic beings agreed, but later that evening, all of the men in Sodom – young and old – gathered around Lot’s house and demanded that he send out the two visitors, but instead, Lot came out– one man against the whole crowd.

Trying to reason with the unreasonable mob, he begged, “Oh, please, brothers! Do not give my visitors such terrible treatment!”

“Man!” the angry crowd yelled at Lot. “You came to our town as an outsider, and now you’re acting like our judge! Enough! We’ll treat you worse than those visitors you’re hiding!”

Before the crowd could attack though, the two angels snatched Lot inside, bolted the door, and blinded everyone outside! The next morning, as soon as Lot and his family had enough light to travel, the angels seized them by the hand and rushed them outside the city, telling them to run for their lives without looking back.

The mountains looming ahead must have seemed scary, dark, and wild to Lot, and so he prayed:

“’Oh, please, no, my lords! You have been kind and gracious and saved my life, but if I go to those mountains, I’m doomed to die! See that village over there? It’s close enough for me to reach. Please, let me escape to that little place, and my life will be saved.’

“’All right,’ one of the angels said. ‘I will grant your prayer, and I will not destroy that little place, but you must hurry, for I cannot do anything until you safely arrive.’ And so the village was named Zoar (which means little place),” Genesis 19:18-22.


Questions: How well can a person of principles fit into any place or among any group of people who do not know God?

Apparently, the people of Sodom thought Lot was judging them, which made them furious, but was he? Or was he standing up for the values in which he believed?

The people of Sodom showed no regard for human rights, which, in this case, ignored even the rights and treatment of angels! Does anything like that happen today? What problems, large or small, occur because one person or group does not respect the life of another? Could this be the cause of bullying, gangs, and wars?

The angels visited Sodom to put an end to the wickedness there, but they told Lot that they could do nothing until he’d gotten completely away from the destruction sure to follow. Wow! What power! What control!

Does protecting Lot show a lot about God?

Prayer: Dear Most High God, I praise You for your almighty power, mercy, and love. Thank You for protecting me, as You did Lot, even when I’m not aware of Your shield around me. Help me to stand up for my beliefs and Your values. Thank You for giving me what I need to obey You and go where I need to go.

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© 2012, Mary Sayler, all rights reserved.

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God and Abraham pray for Ishmael and Isaac

Background: Again and again, God promised Abram he would become the father of many nations, yet this usually strong man of faith and his wife, Sarai, made their own arrangements in order to make God’s promise come true! As Genesis 16 records the story, Sarai urged Abram to follow the custom of the day and have children with her maid Hagar so the couple would have an heir. When this had been accomplished and Hagar knew she had a child on the way, she began to look down on her mistress, which did not go over too well with Sarai.

In Genesis 17 God gave Abram a new name – Abraham, which means the father of many. God also changed Sarai’s name to Sarah, which, interestingly, means princess. With the blessing of God resting on Abraham, however, God could not and did not forget Hagar.

When Sarah mistreated the servant girl, Hagar ran away until an angel of the Lord came to her and told her to go home and submit to Sarah’s authority.

“And the angel said, ‘You will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Ishmael, meaning God hears, for the Lord has heard your cries. Your son will be as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. He will live in defiance of all his relatives’,” Genesis 16:11-12.

Hagar obeyed God and gave birth to Ishmael. Fourteen years later, God appeared to the 99-year-old Abraham, again promising to be with him and his descendants but with special favor over the child that his wife Sarah would have, despite the impossibility of her age! However…

“Abraham prayed to God, ‘Oh, if only Ishmael could live before You!’

“But God said, ‘No, your wife Sarah will bear a son, and you shall call his name Isaac, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with him and his descendants after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard your prayer. I will indeed bless him and make him fruitful, giving him many, many descendants. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation, but I will establish My covenant with Isaac to whom Sarah will give birth at this time next year’,” Genesis 17:18-22.

Questions: Do people today ever hear God’s promises then run ahead or lag behind God’s timing? Did Abraham and Sarah’s decision to ensure an heir affect only their family, or did their actions have consequences and reverberations still felt today? Does Abraham’s prayer for Ishmael give a different slant to his motivations in the familiar Bible story in Genesis 22 where he offers up his son and heir, Isaac, as a sacrifice to the Lord?

Prayer: Dear LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and, yes, Ishmael, help me to hear You and be ready and willing to wait! Forgive me for the times I have fallen far behind or rushed before You. Thank You for giving me everything I need to obey You and follow Your will even when things look hopelessly impossible.

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© 2012, Mary Sayler, all rights reserved.

God and Abraham have a candid conversation

“The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Fear not, Abram. I AM your shield, and your reward shall be exceeding great.’

"And Abram said, ‘Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I have no child but my steward, Eliezer of Damascus? Since You have given me no seed, the person born in my house is my only heir.’

"And the word of the LORD came again, saying, ‘This shall not be your heir, but he who comes from your own loins shall be your heir.’ Then the LORD brought Abram outdoors and said, ‘Look toward heaven and count the stars if you can number them. That’s how many descendants you will have.’

"And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted this as righteousness. Then the LORD said, ‘I AM the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to inherit.’" Genesis 15:1-7.

God talked with Abram and told him His plans, but even in a dream or vision, Abram would not have heard any of this unless he had listened. But he did listen, and immediately he heard the Lord soothe his fears then promise to protect and bless him, and Abram believed.

Abram also spoke candidly with God, making it as clear as the sky that all the money in the world would not matter to him if he did not have someone to pass it on to – an heir who could also enjoy the blessings.

God responded to this concern by taking Abram outside and pointing to the stars as the countless descendants Abraham would eventually have. Then the LORD reminded Abram how he had been guided out of his homeland into another land that God promised to give. When Abram wondered about this inheritance, which could only occur after his death, God responded with a covenant – a pledge, a pact, a contract, a treaty – sealed in blood.

Questions: Do my prayers include time to listen to God? Am I honest with the LORD about my worries, wants, and needs? Do I carry on candid conversations with God as my dearest, closest, and best friend?

Prayer: Oh, LORD, I want to hear You as clearly as Abraham did! Strengthen my faith. Help me to listen to Your voice, do as You ask, and accept all that You give me and my family for all times and in all places. Give me, too, the courage to fear not the gift of being your heir, your child.

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© 2012, Mary Sayler

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Melchizedek: A priest prays for Abraham

Background: When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured by the joint forces of four kings, he rounded up 318 men from his servants and set out to rescue his brother’s son. Abram not only accomplished this military feat, he also freed the people and possessions taken from their homes in Sodom and Gomorrah. Afterward, the king of Sodom came out to greet the returning hero in the Kings’ Valley and told him to keep the things belonging to the people of his town, but Abram refused. As he explained, he did not want anyone thinking the king of Sodom had made him rich!

At some point during this conversation, the Bible reports that the priest-king of Salem also came out to meet Abram, bringing bread and wine. No one knows anything about the ancestry of this priest-king to whom the fifth chapter of Hebrews later refers as “a priest forever.” Regardless, the man came from an area whose name stems from the Hebrew word “Shalom,” meaning “peace.”

“Melchizedek, the king of Salem and priest of God Most High, brought bread and wine to Abram and said: ‘May you be blessed, Abram, by God Most High, who owns heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, Who has given your enemies into your hand.” And Abram gave Melchizedek a tithe of all he had,” Genesis 14:18-20.

After this prayer blessing, which also praised God, Abram gave the first biblically recorded tithe of ten percent to the Priest Melchizedek, who was also King of Salem – the place now known as Jerusalem.

Question: What gift do you have for God? What blessing does God have for you?

Prayer: O, Most High God, I thank and praise You for the countless successes, triumphs, and blessings that You bring. Help me to use Your good gifts to Your great glory.

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© 2012, Mary Sayler, all rights reserved.
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