Monday: Genesis 32:1-21
- For the first time, we see Jacob praying earnestly. In verse 10, he said, “I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant.” How do you respond to this part of Jacob’s prayer? Can you honestly pray that prayer, or do you believe God “owes you” all you have and more?
Tuesday: Genesis 32:22-32
- :Have you ever wrestled with God? If so, what led you to the wrestling? What was the outcome, and what marks of the struggle do you still carry with you?
- If not, what is your inner response to Jacob’s story? What circumstances or inner forces do you believe might lead people of faith to wrestle with God?
Wednesday: Genesis 33:1-20
- What signs do you find in today’s reading of ways that Jacob had grown during his twenty years of exile, and through wrestling with God?
- As you look back over your own life, what indicators can you see that God has been at work in you? Are there any areas in which Jacob’s growth challenges you to follow his example?
Thursday: Genesis 35:1-15
- It’s been said, “God loves you as you are, but God loves you too much to leave you that way.” God loved and led Jacob and his family while they had Laban’s household gods with them—but they got rid of them.
- Do you have any “household gods”—any attitudes or practices God has been nudging you to change? Will you do it?
Friday: Genesis 35:16-29
- Reconciliation is a key theme in Jacob’s story. Esau once chose a wife because she would upset Isaac (Genesis 28:8-9). But, he joined Jacob, the brother he’d once sworn to kill, to honor their father.
- What spiritual and emotional choices does it take to keep the past from blighting the present?
Saturday: Reflect
In this week’s story, God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. Using websites such as www.behindthename.com, research the history and meaning of the names of people in your family. How much is that person like, or different from, the meaning of his or her name? Pretend each family member can change his or her name. We usually choose names we think “sound nice.” If you chose names for their meaning instead what would each person’s name be, and why? Thank God for knowing each of you by name and for loving you more than you can imagine.