BROADCASTS.com

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you (Genesis 28:15).

The Christian faith is deeply rooted in the promises of God. As Hebrews 11 so famously puts it, \u201cNow faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for\u201d (1-2).

Being a Christian means that we believe there is more to life than this reality, there is more than what we can see with our eyes. There is something better in front of us. The writer of Hebrews tells us that many Old Testament saints were commended for living in this hope.

Would we be commended in the same way?

When I think about the spirituality of African slaves sold in the American marketplace, I think about a people who, while enduring unspeakable horrors, often saw the hope of the Christian gospel. That a strong gospel tradition remains among those so mistreated by those who claimed to be Christian goes beyond all human reason.

But I digress, that is not what this devotional is about. Or maybe it is. You see, our text is a promise which God makes to Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. And God makes it in the context of Jacob\u2019s unbelief.

Here is the story in a nutshell. When Rebekah was pregnant with twins, \u201cthey jostled\u201d within her. She asked God why this was happening and was told that the older would serve the younger. This was contrary to the normal cultural practice. As they were growing up, Isaac loved the older, Esau, and Rebekah the younger, Jacob. She wanted Jacob to receive the promise God had made to her but doubted that God could pull it off.

As a result of her doubt, she convinced Jacob to deceive both his father and his twin brother. The ruse worked until it was discovered. Then Jacob\u2019s twin vowed to kill his bother. Jacob flees for his life.

It is as Jacob flees that God interrupts his flight, not to send him back but to speed him on his way with the promise that God will bring him back. Jacob was living in the land of promise, now he was fleeing because of his and his mother\u2019s unbelief, but God would bring him back.

Wow.

This is the gospel. Despite our disobedience and unbelief God will complete his work of redemption. This is good news for all of us who find ourselves living in the land of sin. We are often tempted to think that our sin has derailed God\u2019s work.

Nope.

Despite our sinfulness and lack of faith, God continues to call us back to faith and hope. The fulfillment of his promises is not dependent on us. As Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, \u201cThe one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it\u201d (5:24).

I will say more about this verse on Thursday. For now, have you given up on God\u2019s promises? What would it mean for you to pick them up again? How would it change the way that you live?