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

…

God prays creation into being

The very first prayers in the Bible resound with God’s poetic prayers and “Amen!”

Each “Let there be” begins an “Amen” to God’s prayers for us as our Heavenly Father and Creator God calls into being every living thing in the heavens and on the earth.

This poem prayer-a-phrases the beginning of that beginning as shown in today’s Bible reading from Genesis 1:

God’s Prayers for Creation
Genesis 1:1-13

In the beginning,
God….

In the beginning –

Chaos! Darkness!
A wasteland! A world
unformed….

Then a mighty wind –
Ruah –
swept over the waters,
the Spirit of God
hovered over the waters,

and God prayed:

“Let there be light,”
and the light answered
God’s prayer,
and it was good.

So God separated the light
from darkness.
God separated the waters above
and the waters below,
and the dry land appeared
at God’s calling,
and it was good.

Then God prayed:
“Let the earth bring forth,”
and the earth responded;
the earth obeyed,
and it was good.

© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler, a poet, writer, and lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church, prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Genesis 1 from translations found on Bible Gateway.

…

Jacobs wrestles an angel and becomes Israel

Background: When Jacob fled from home after wrestling his father’s blessing from Esau, he vowed to worship God if everything happened as promised. It did, of course, since God does not and cannot lie. However, many years went by before Jacob felt free to go home.

After the long journey began, God sent angels to greet Jacob. In turn, Jacob sent his servants to meet, greet, and make peace with his older twin brother Esau of whom he was greatly afraid (Genesis 32:7.) To protect himself and his family, Jacob divided the people and livestock into two camps, thinking that, if Esau destroyed one, the other would be able to escape. (Genesis 32:8.)

Then Jacob prayed: “O, LORD God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, You told me, ‘Return to your land and the place of your birth, and I will do well for you.’ But LORD, I am not worthy of the least of Your mercies or of Your truth which You have fulfilled for me, Your servant. With only my walking stick, I passed over the Jordan River, and now I’m going home with a household big enough to fill two camps! Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am greatly afraid he will come and kill my wives and children. But You promised to treat me kindly and multiply my descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered,” Genesis 32:9-12.

The next morning, Jacob set aside livestock for his servants to give to Esau – one group after another – as a peace offering. When everyone had safely crossed over the river, Jacob alone remained in camp. As he tried to sleep, he wrestled all night with an angel of the Lord or man of God.

When the man saw he would not win the match, he wrestled Jacob’s hip out of its socket, then said, “Let me go for the dawn is breaking!”

“But Jacob said, ‘I won’t let you go unless you bless me’.”

“‘What is your name?’ the man asked.”

“‘Jacob,’ he replied.”

“‘Your name will no longer be Jacob. From now on you will be called Israel because you have wrestled with God and men and have won’.” (Genesis 32:26-28.)

When Jacob then saw Esau coming with a large company of men, he fell to the ground as his brother came near. Esau ran to meet him with an enormous hug! Jacob blessed his brother, but the two soon parted – most likely relieved by each other’s response yet wary. When Jacob then found a field to buy, he pitched his tents and built an altar to call upon the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, and, now, Israel.

Question: Do you expect God to keep His promises to you in person or in general? Do you expect the same from yourself and other people too? With whom or what do you wrestle?

Prayer: Almighty God and Heavenly Father of all, we praise You for being The One in Whom we can always put our total confidence and trust. Forgive us, Lord, for the times we have been wary of You and unforgiving of ourselves and others. Help us to talk to You about everything and to listen – especially as we toss and turn in sleep and in mind when it’s hard to make a decision or know what You would have us to do. Lead us, LORD, with Your Word and heavenly greetings as we come home to You.


~~

© 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.

~~

© 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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Can one prayer make a difference in places like Sodom and Gomorrah?

Background: During the heat of the day Abraham sat by the door to his tent, shaded by the oaks of Mamre. Suddenly he saw three men appear out of nowhere! Jumping to his feet, Abraham hurried to greet the unexpected guests and offer precious water for them to drink and bathe while his wife Sarah prepared a fine meal.

When the men (or, more likely, angels) finished eating, they delivered a message from God, saying the elderly couple would give birth to a son within a year. Sarah laughed to herself at the thought, but one of the visitors heard and asked, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”

Rising to leave, the heavenly beings looked on the city of Sodom. Outcries from there and Gomorrah screamed of the need for something to be done about unjust, perverse, and perverted ways. As the angels headed toward Sodom, God remained with Abraham, telling him what to expect:

“And Abraham came near and asked, ‘Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose fifty righteous people live in the city. Will You sweep them away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous? Surely You would not do such a thing as slay the righteous with the wicked, so they both get the same treatment! Surely the Judge of all the earth must be just!’

“So the LORD said, ‘If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the city on their account.’

“And Abraham replied, ‘I have spoken to the Lord even though I am only dust and ashes! But suppose the fifty righteous lack five. Will You destroy the whole city because of those five?’

“And the LORD said, ‘I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.’

“Then Abraham spoke to God again and said, ‘Suppose only forty are found?’

“And the LORD said, ‘I will not destroy it on account of the forty.’

“Then Abraham said, ‘Oh, LORD, do not be angry, and I shall speak. Suppose thirty are found?’

“And God said, I will not destroy it if I find thirty.’

“And Abraham said, ‘Since I have dared to speak, LORD, I must speak again. Suppose twenty are found?’

“And God said, ‘I will not destroy the city on account of the twenty.’

“Then Abraham said, ‘Oh, LORD, do not be angry, and I shall speak only this once more. Suppose ten are found?’

“And God said, ‘I will not destroy it on account of the ten.’ As soon as they had finished speaking, the LORD departed, and Abraham returned to his home,” Genesis 18:23-33.


But ten could not be found.


Question: What does this Bible prayer show us about the patience of God and the Lord’s willingness to listen? What place has God placed on your mind?

Prayer: LORD God, sometimes the daily news screams of injustice and evil! Please give me Your prayers to pray for this country and every scary area of the world. Forgive me for those times I thought an act of disobedience would not matter to You or anyone else. Give me the courage to stand up for the godly values You have given in the Golden Rule, the Ten Commandments, and the words of Your holy word. Help me to bring Your prayers and Good News to bad news places where the people do not seem to even have a prayer.

~~

© 2012, Mary Sayler, all rights reserved.

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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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Calling on the Name

Background:
After Adam and Eve, after Cain and Abel, after the third generation of humankind began calling on the name of the Lord, many, many centuries passed. Heavenly beings did whatever they wanted, creating chaos and, quite possibly, mythological creatures (Genesis 6:1-4.) Human beings did whatever they wanted, and their relationships with God and one another deteriorated (Genesis 6:5.) The whole universe had gotten into an unbearable, terrible mess!

Within this scene of deterioration and depravity, Noah stood out like a bright light of righteousness. God noticed, of course, and came to Noah with a plan and a promise. As Genesis 7-8 recorded, God used a flood to wipe out everything and start over with Noah, his family, and every animal on earth.

After the floodwaters had dried, Noah built an altar and offered a sacrifice to God (Genesis 8:20.) If he prayed to God or praised and thanked God for protecting and saving him and his family, the Bible did not say. Instead Genesis 9 goes on to tell us how Noah planted a vineyard, made wine, and got drunk!

When Noah awoke after an embarrassing evening, he realized that one of his three sons had stood around, staring at the inebriated, naked father until the other two walked backwards to cover him up! If Noah felt foolish or ashamed or sorry or got mad at himself for his own behavior, the Bible made no mention. Instead Genesis 9:25-27 recorded this prayer:

“And Noah said,
‘Cursed be Canaan!
May he be the very lowest servant –
a servant of servants to his brothers.‘

“And Noah said,
‘Blessed be the LORD God of Shem.
Canaan shall be his servant.
God shall extend the borders of Japheth,
and Japheth shall live in the tents of Shem,
and Canaan shall be his servant’.”

Questions:
In what ways did the blessings and cursings of Noah affect human history? Do they affect peoples and nations today? Do I take my own words seriously? Do I bless or curse my family, my community, myself, and the world?

Prayer:
Dear LORD God, I praise and thank You for all of my blessings! Help me to become a blessing to others and myself.

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© 2012, Mary Sayler, all rights reserved.
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First Bible prayer or first complaint?

Background: In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had communion and fellowship with God similar to conversational prayer. Since they had everything they could possibly need and more, they did not ask for anything, but when they disobeyed God, everything changed. Even then, however, the Bible does not mention their asking God for forgiveness, maybe because they did not!

Regardless, the couple left the Garden as God commanded, and, outside of Eden, they eventually had a family. The Bible does not say what Adam and Eve told their children about God as they were growing up, but for some reason, both sons thought they needed to give God a gift, perhaps to get back into the Garden or into God’s good graces.

At any rate, Cain offered some of the produce from his garden, while Abel gave the very best of his flock. God accepted Abel’s gift, but not Cain’s off-hand offering, which infuriated the man so much that he killed his younger brother. God then confronted Cain, who responded with the resounding question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

“And the Lord said, ‘What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries from the ground! Now you are cursed from the earth that swallowed your brother’s blood. When you till the ground, it will not yield good crops. From now on you will be a fugitive and a homeless wanderer on the earth.’

“And (in what may be the first biblically recorded prayer from a person) Cain cried out to the Lord, ‘My punishment is too great to bear! You have banished me from the face of the earth and also from Your presence. You have made me a fugitive and homeless wanderer, so whoever finds me will kill me!’

“But the Lord said, ‘I will punish sevenfold anyone who kills you.’ Then the Lord put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. And Cain left the Lord’s presence, settling in the land of Nod, east of Eden,” Genesis 4:10-16.

Questions: How far from Eden am I? What kind of prayer life do I have? Do I talk with God in conversational prayer as I read the Bible and listen to the inner voice of the Holy Spirit? Do I frequently praise God, or like Cain, do I mainly protest and complain? Do I ask God for forgiveness, or do I think I have to earn forgiveness and love from The Most Holy, Loving, and Forgiving God?

Prayer: Dear LORD God, I praise You for Your goodness, mercy, forgiving grace, and love. Help me to offer my best to You as a pleasing gift, just because I love You. Thank You for freely loving, forgiving, and protecting me. Thank You for responding to my prayers even when I complain.

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© 2012, Mary Sayler, all rights reserved. ~~

Calling on the Name of the Lord

“Adam and his wife had another son, whom they named him Seth (i.e., given) because, as they said, `God has given us a son to take the place of Abel, whom his brother Cain has killed.’

Then, when Seth had a son, he named him Enosh. And at that time people began to call on the Name of the LORD,” Genesis 4:25-26.

After the Fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden…

After disobedience, blame, and denial ruined a perfect world…

After the first jealous rage led to murder…

After one brother killed another…

After a new start and a new family began in the God-given son of Seth...

People began to call on the Name of the Lord.

Question: Do I sometimes take a while to call on God? Why?

Prayer: Dear LORD God, Who Gives and Restores, help me to call on You before I fall. If I forget, please remind me. Help me to stay attuned to You and readily hear and respond as You call my name.

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© 2012, Mary Sayler, all rights reserved.