A Slow Go

The story of Joseph reminds us that progress in godliness is often slow but with persistence it does come.  At the start of Genesis 31, Jacob is once again doing what he does best-- acting deceitfully.  The author of Genesis doesn't want you to miss that truth.  He spells it out in 31:20.  You would think that after deceiving and being deceived, Jacob might have learned another means of doing business, but decades after first deceiving Esau, Jacob is stuck in the same pattern.

Yet, Genesis 32 provides hope that perhaps Jacob is beginning to learn.  While Jacob hid his departure from Laban, he sends messangers to let Esau know he is arriving.  Jacob is not going to try deceit here.  When Jacob hears that Esau is coming to meet him with a mighty force, he prays to God and pleads for his help rather than relying on his own craftiness and schemes.  Genesis 32 gives us some signs that Jacob may be growing up ever so slightly.

Spiritual progress is often not a sprint.  In our lives and in the lives of others, growth requires patience.  Praise God that He is long suffering, that  He gives us the chance to grow in grace and to learn all the lessons that He has for us.