"I will be with you."

Well, here we are.  It has been a little over a week since I started the 90 day Bible reading challenge.  I have to be honest.  I haven't been completely consistent, and I only have excuses.  I had a few days where I was working and I got up early and went to bed late, so I didn't read.  So, I spent the last couple days reading a little extra, and I am currently only 1 day behind.  I want to be more consistent, but as long as I mostly stay on track, I am still making progress.  Plus, we do have grace days! What would we do if it wasn't for grace. Amen? *grins*

How are you doing on your reading?

Before I get into one of the bigger lessons I feel I've been learning,  I want to let you know what the next couple days look like for me.  Tomorrow, I am going to try to leave my house by 4 so I can get to the airport to leave by 6.  Guess where I am going? VIRGINIA! YAHOO! I was selected to be 1 of 45 people to go to Polyface Farm in Swoope VA for a two day working interview.  I will be flying Thursday and Sunday, and working Friday and Saturday. I would really appreciate your prayers.  I would love to be chosen for the 2015 summer internship, but there will be 44 other deserving people, and I want the Lord's will to be done.  Anyways, that's what the rest of my week looks like.  I will have a great chance to get some reading done on the airplane! Oh, and if you do a lot of commuting, I would recommend getting an audio Bible.  I was able to listen to the entire book of Leviticus while driving to and from work, and then while packing this evening. Moving on to another topic.

Here are some of the thoughts I had during one of my reading sessions.

"Then the Lord said to Jacob, 'Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.'"
Genesis 31:3

"Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps, thinking, 'If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape.' And Jacob said, 'O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’” Genesis 32:7-12

"I will be with you."
How often do we hear those words?

Here's a little context.
Jacob had fled to his relatives house to avoid his brother, who had threatened to kill him.  Jacob went to his uncles house and served seven years for the hand of the woman he loved, but was deceived into marrying her older sister.  He served another 7 years for the hand of the woman he loved.  He continued to serve, the entire time earning wages that were blessed by God, till he had more than his uncle.  God said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives" and to top it off, He said "and I will be with you." Wow.

Sounds great, right? Well, Jacob was getting close to his hometown, and his brother heard he was coming, so he set out with a company to meet Jacob.  When Jacob heard his brother was coming, he was "greatly afraid and distressed." Now, I can understand why he was afraid, because his brother had threatened his life, but I guess he was forgetting one thing. God had said He would be with him.  Well, maybe he didn't forget altogether. The passage goes on to describe how Jacob pleaded to God, reminding Him that He had promised him that his offspring would be as many as the sand of the sea. 

Jacob sure seems to have mixed emotions.  He trusts God enough that he reminds Him of His promises, but he goes to lengths to protect himself from any harm that might befall him.

How often do I do the same? How often do I say, "Here Lord, I know I am supposed to trust you, and follow Your will, and I know that You have provided for me up to this point, but will you continue to provide for me after this moment?" Of course, I don't say those exact words, and I don't realize I have that sort of an attitude, but it's true.  I don't always trust God fully, and I don't always do what I know is right in His sight.  Praise God though, that He is always faithful, no matter how I waver. He is my solid rock in a pouring storm.  He is my haven on a stormy sea.  And He always draws me back into His loving arms where I am safe.

I guess, the biggest point I want to get across is that He is faithful in all things.  And I am happy to remind you (and myself) that, praise God, His love does not depends on what I do, but on His own perfect nature, and I can trust His perfect will for my life.