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Blessings and Baggage
Esau wasn’t the only brother who suffered because of his lack of patience. Jacob also suffered because he sought instant gratification instead of waiting on God’s will.
Jacob tricked Esau into trading his birthright for a bowl of soup, and he also went to great lengths to deceive their father so he could receive the blessing. You can read the entire story in Genesis 27.
The craziest thing is that the blessing Jacob so desperately wanted was already his. Before they were born, God told Jacob and Esau’s mother, Rebekah, that Jacob would rule over Esau (Genesis 25:23). God had a plan to bless Jacob, but Jacob wouldn’t wait on God’s timing.
Unfortunately for Jacob, because he wouldn’t surrender to God’s ways or wait on God’s timing, the blessing he wanted quickly became a burden. Getting a blessing right when we want it may work faster, but it also requires more work later.
What’s that desire for you? If it’s something you believe God wants you to eventually have, then think for a moment about the burdens that might come with it if you got it right now. Getting the popularity might come with drama you don’t want. Getting the relationship might come at the cost of your reputation.
Jacob’s “right now” blessing came with TONS of baggage. For starters, Esau wanted to kill him. Jacob was forced to run away for his own safety, which meant he never saw his mother again (which was a big deal because Jacob was a mama’s boy). For years, his life was marked by fear, deceit, betrayal, and heartache, all because he gave up his integrity for what he wanted now.
God will never call you to do anything that will compromise your integrity, but He will often call you to wait for Him while He works things out on your behalf. And when He gives you a gift, He will also give you the ability to enjoy it.
You can trust God to answer your prayers and move obstacles that stand in your way, even if it seems like He is taking a long time to do it. He can be trusted, no matter how long the wait. The better question is, can God trust you to wait patiently while He works?
About this Plan
Waiting for what we want is hard. How do you avoid trading what you want most for what you want now, or wait on God when what He said doesn’t look anything like what you see? Join Elevation YTH in this three-day devotional to learn how to wait (and work) with wisdom to get what you really want.
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