From Fear to Faith

Genesis 31-33; Luke 13

“Jacob answered Laban, ‘I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force.’…In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups…Then Jacob prayed, ‘O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, “Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper…Save me, I pray from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid…”’”

Genesis 31:31; 32:7, 9, 11

Jacob, the deceiver, had run out of tricks and options. God’s call to return to Canaan put him on a collision course with his father-in-law, Laban, and his brother Esau. Fear gripped Jacob’s heart and mind. Often our greatest fears are connected to relationships with those who are closest to us. God’s call exposed those fears in Jacob’s heart and drew him to cry out to God for salvation. God’s tests are not meant to destroy, but to transform us if we repent, humble ourselves, and cry out to him.

What fears or challenges has God used to get our attention?

Are we, too, calling out for his salvation?

“Lord Jesus, save me from obstacles too big for me to handle. I need you, for your glory.”