My Shepherd

"And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, 'Jacob, Jacob.' And he said, 'Here I am'" (Genesis 46:2).

Jacob's story is a fascinating one. The younger son of Isaac and Rebekah, he should have been forgotten, the blessings of Abraham passed on to his older brother, Esau. But through a series of deceptions, he gained Esau's birthright and their father's special blessing. He eventually had twelve sons and amassed great wealth for himself.

None of this was really due to his own shrewdness, of course. God had chosen him to be the inheritor of His promises to Abraham, so everything that happened in Jacob's life was because of God's intervention.

Jacob's relationship with God is intriguing to study. He acknowledges God's presence in his life, but it always seems to be something that he puts to the side, something to turn to when he's in trouble. Nearly every instance of God speaking with Jacob begins with God taking the initiative. Abraham discussed things with God, Isaac sought God's direction, but Jacob is content to do as he pleases, looking to God when he's in a tight spot and not caring much about Him the rest of the time.

Yet God continues to pursue him. Time and time again, He appears to Jacob and promises to be with him. And by the end of his life, Jacob finally seems to get it. On his way to Egypt to be reunited with the son he thought dead, Jacob stops to make a sacrifice to God, and God comes to speak with him.

In his final days, Jacob seeks to pass his blessing on to his descendants. In the beginning of that blessing, he names God as "the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day" (Genesis 48:15). He can look back over his life and see how God has helped him in every moment. Though he might not have observed it then, it's obvious now.

Jacob's story leaves us with a powerful message: God is with us, even when we don't see Him--even when we're not looking for Him.