Happy Tuesday! Happy Day 12!
Before beginning today Wendy wants to let us know she is aware of the problem some people are having trying to comment on her blog. People are leaving comments in two different places and she is not computer literate and she had no idea that there was a place, other than her blog, where you can comment. She’s getting advice and working with someone she considers to be an expert in the field of blogging and she’s going to figure out the best way to streamline comments so everyone is commenting in one place. She personally doesn’t want to miss any comments because the Lord is teaching her through the treasure God is pouring out in your spirits. She loves that and knows others are encouraged in the same way. She doesn’t want anyone to miss anyone else’s comments, so she’s on top of that, but not exactly certain when it will be fixed. She will let us know.
Yesterday Jacob left Laban, made a monument, actually put stones down not to cross over and agreed to live in peace. Laban said finally, take my daughters, take my grandchildren, it’s Ok, you are free to go. They had agreed to part their way. Jacob was ready to go home and the Lord sent an angel to guard and protect him on his way home. Wendy thought how precious that was of the Lord. El Roi, the God who sees, knew what was going to happen when we turned the page. He knew that Esau was going to appear soon and Jacob needed some extra assurance and he needed some guardianship and so He sent angels to meet Jacob. How comforting that must have been for Jacob. Jacob declared, “This is the Lord’s camp.” Wendy loves those words and wants to adopt those words herself when she's moving towards something that is possibly fearful. After all, Jacob knew he was going to run into Esau and you can tell he was preparing for the possibility of conflict with his brother. When he left his brother he was fleeing for his life. Esau wanted to kill him. It has been 20 years now, but you just don’t know with family or foe what will happen after 20 years. Maybe time was not as good to him and he hadn’t changed as much as Jacob had changed.
Wendy asked if we enjoyed watching how Jacob has evolved from the time he was the deceiver and stealing the birthright and putting on that animal skin cover until today where he is putting himself humbly before the Lord and reminding the Lord of the promise that He made to his family to have that land and now he was going to go back and claim his promise. How precious that was to see the turning point he has made in his life. All of that aside, he knew he might face imminent danger with his brother and God knew that too and God knew his fear and was sensitive to that fear and sent angels to protect him. Wendy thought that was really special.
What Wendy loved most of the story we read today was the Hallmark ending. Whenever she gets the opportunity, which isn’t often, Wendy loves to sit down and watch sappy Hallmark movies that always end happily. Everybody ends up with somebody. There’s hugs. There’s smiles. There’s cries. Just good, good movies. Not all chick flick movies, but they are just really good, wholesome movies and that’s hard to find now. She loves to sit down and watch a good happy ending on Hallmark and that’s what this reminds her of now. Esau running from afar and meeting Jacob. Jacob was on his knees, humbly bowing and Esau was running toward him, and wanting to mend and heal that relationship. Wendy loved that. It was a beautiful, beautiful thing. Then they hugged and wept and then ‘The End’. It was beautiful. Wendy loves that they have mended their relationship and loved that God had changed Esau’s will. Even someone who was as hard and brute and insensitive as Esau. God can change anyone if they are submissive. Somewhere along the way, Esau must have submitted to the Lord himself otherwise it would not have been such a beautiful reunion.
That’s really not Wendy’s most favourite part of today’s story. She loved the part of Jacob wrestling with God. There have been many times in her life where she has felt that she has just been wrestling for something. Sometimes it’s been for a prayer request. Sometimes for a desire that she has been fighting for faith with the Lord. Sometimes she’s been fighting for the next step in her life and the Lord’s will for her life. She’s felt that struggle. Jacob was not going to give up, being persistent until he got the blessing. He fought all night. You have to remember that Jacob was tired at this point. He had been travelling. He had had all that emotional upheaval with Laban and finally that had come to pass and he was moving forward. But moving forward to possible danger, there is anxiety there. There’s a fear there and that takes up energy. He was tired, but he was not going to rest until he got his blessing. Wendy loves that picture, but she also loves the point where God gives Jacob a new name. God changed his name from Deceiver to Prince of God.
Ladies, gentlemen, friends, we can get a new name, regardless of what we’ve done, regardless of what we’ve experienced, regardless of what we’re doing at any given time, we can receive a new name from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Travis Cottrell, Beth Moore’s worship leader, is by far Wendy’s favourite worship leader ever. Wendy goes straight to God’s throne of grace just listening to songs that he sings. He recorded a song called, “You Changed My Name”. Wendy jotted down the words because this song captures the picture beautifully of Jacob receiving a new name.
“You changed my name when You called me forgiven
You changed my name when You called me redeemed
You took my shame and wrote a new beginning to the story I was living and I’ll never be the same.
You changed my name.”
We have been redeemed. We have been forgiven. We have been redeemed. We have been given a new name in Jesus Christ. We don’t have to live under the old self. The New Testament tells us in 2 Corinthians that we are a new creation in Christ Jesus. Let’s go live like we have a new name.
(All thoughts transcribed from Wendy's blog to aid those whose computers are not capatible to view these videos.)
No comments:
Post a Comment