Jacob's Model Prayer

In Genesis 32, Jacob, the son of Isaac, offers a prayer to God that is a good model for Christians to follow. The prayer comes as he is preparing to face his brother, Esau, for the first time since Jacob deceitfully stole Esau's birthright (Genesis 27). Jacob was apprehensive about meeting Esau, and the fear grows when his "messengers returned to Jacob and reported, 'We met your brother, Esau, and he is already on his way to meet you - with an army of 400 men!" (Gen. 32:6) After this news, Jacob prays the following prayer. I have broken it down into five sections.

Genesis 32:9 "O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac."

Jacob begins the prayer by stating a name(s) of God. Jesus does this also in Matthew 6:9 when teaching us to pray, "Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy." God had been faithful to Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob was now trusting that God would be faithful to him. We, too, should call God's names back to him. Doing it at the beginning of our prayers immediately puts our hearts and minds in a place of humility and thankfulness.

Genesis 32:9 "O Lord, you told me, 'Return to your own land and to your relatives.' And you promised me, 'I will treat you kindly.'"

Jacob reminded God of the commands and the promises He had made. Esau and his 400 men were coming with bad intentions, or so Jacob feared. Jacob was standing on God's promise to treat him kindly. Psalm 119:49, 50 says "Remember your promise to me; it is my only hope. Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles." How incredible it is that God takes joy in hearing us recite His promises back to him in prayer, and claim it in times of trouble.

Genesis 32:10 "I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps!"

Jacob recognized that all of his blessings and possessions had been given to him by God. We, too, should recognize that God gives us every good thing in our lives, and we should be quick to tell Him that in prayer. One verse I find myself praying often is Acts 17:25, "He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need." In praying that simple verse, it is my way of recognizing that all I have, even each breath I take, is given to me by God.

Genesis 32:11 "O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children."

After recognizing who God is, and remembering his promises to us, as well as all He has given to us by His grace, we can humbly take our requests to Him. I love how specific and descriptive Jacob is with his request. He was fearful for his life and the lives of his family. Philippians 4:6,7 says "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace." The God of the Universe wants us to present our requests to him, big or small, and we can because of Christ Jesus.

Genesis 32:12 "But you promised me, 'I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sand along the seashore - too many to count.'"

To me, the key word in this verse is "But". Jacob could have let his fearful emotions takeover and win the battle. "But", as he did earlier in the prayer, he remembered God's promise to him. We often let our feelings determine what is true or not true in our lives. Instead, we should stand on God's word, as Jacob did, no matter what our feelings tell us.

In the end, Esau was not coming to get revenge on his brother at all, but embraced Jacob and made peace with him. Jacob's prayer is one that we all can follow as we "come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most" (Hebrews 4:16).