His “I will” Promises...
Take a moment to look back on the journey you have traveled. Reflect on pivotal moments in life that helped shape you and the ones that felt would break you. Your mind may be filled with a sense of peace as you see how the hand of God guided you, or perhaps your mind weighs heavy with thoughts of doubt and regret. Wherever our thoughts lie we can probably all agree life is an image of mountains and valleys with many lessons in between.
This is where we find Jacob in life in Genesis 48, looking back over the course of his life reflecting on the journey. What a journey it had been for him! If you recall, Jacob was the younger brother that slick willied his father and older brother for a birthright and tossed God an “If and Then,” prayer. Over the course of time, he was deceived by his father-in-law, became bogged down in denial as his children’s behavior went haywire, and lay heartbroken as he lost his beloved son, Joseph. Hardship and despair were no strangers to Jacob. The road he walked in life was a hodgepodge of fear, trust, and patience.
Yet, as Jacob’s life nears the end, his choice of words in Genesis 48 are intriguing. Allow your mind to get bogged down in Scripture for a moment and hear the words spoken by Jacob as he prepares to die.
Jacob states, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. He said to me I will make you fruitful and numerous; I will make many nations come from you, and I will give this land as a permanent possession to your future descendants.”
This moment Jacob is reflecting on was the pivotal moment in his life when God appeared to him in a dream. Jacob was on his shameful lonely journey away from home and uncertain of his future. God’s message in the dream was, “I am the Lord…. I will give you and your offspring the land on which you are lying…..look I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go….for I will NOT leave you.”
The trial Jacob was facing in life at that moment became a cornerstone for his walk with The Lord. The journey in between that dream and these last words being spoken represent the faithfulness of the God he grew to trust through the mountains and valleys.
Jacob’s path from the shameful lonely road to reuniting with his son was filled with lessons of faith, hope and trust streaming between them. He didn’t live a perfect life, nor did he grasp God’s message before him every time, but he did press forward with faith and assurance that God was trustworthy.
We live in a world that does not want to remind us of God’s promises. It pulls and tugs at our thoughts to disregard God’s Word. But God has not forgotten us, nor does He overlook us. He remains seated on the mountain tops and kneels down in the valleys to meet us in every step.
I love that Jacob’s mind reflected on the message given to him so long ago, the “I will” message. He looked back over his life and didn’t recall the could have’s or should have’s. He wholeheartedly saw how faithful God had been to fulfill His promises. Joseph and his brothers were the beginning of the twelve tribes of Israel that would continue to populate the earth and weave in the lineage of Jesus Christ. Jacob was returned to the land of Canaan after he passed away and his life story lives on today in God’s Word.
What promise from God does your heart need to revisit?
What “I will” statement do you need to believe God will be faithful in?
Look back over the course of life and allow your mind to recall how faithful and loving God has been to you. Life may not have been smooth and challenges will still arise, but rest assured God’s hand will never leave you. He will be with you wherever you go and will always love you.
Trust the “I will” promises and keep walking forward in faith.
This week’s song has a beautiful message! Enjoy!
