Grace in Strongholds
“I’m am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant…”(Genesis 32.10 NKJV) (emphasis added).
Jacob’s name means deceiver, and his family had a legacy of deception. Jacob and his mother deceived his father and his brother into giving him the firstborn inheritance and blessing; and Jacob’s father-in-law, also his uncle, continually deceived him for many years. The culmination of this deceit climaxed when God told Jacob to return home and confront the sins he committed because of this familial stronghold. Before God broke Jacob and blessed him (Gen 32.25-28), Jacob confessed the goodness of God. It is interesting that along with claiming God’s mercy, Jacob claimed God’s truth. We all have familial strongholds – worry, low self-esteem, lack of self-control, greed, dishonesty, pride and/or selfishness – that cause us to stumble. However, God will never deal with us the way we deserve. Instead of deceiving a deceiver, God showed Jacob great truth. And because Jacob struggled with showing truth all of his life, he was extremely attuned to its absence and presence. God gives us overflowing grace in the areas that we are most weak, and He will continually work with us until the stronghold is broken and He can bless us.
“People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy” (Proverbs 28.13 NLT).
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