Fear Not! Faith DevotionsSample

Prayer Is the Key

“When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, ‘We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.’ In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well. He thought, ‘If Esau comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape’" (Genesis 32:6-8).

Have you ever dreaded something for a long time and just wanted to get it over with already because you knew a day of reckoning was coming at some point? Jacob knew that one day he would face his brother and be confronted about stealing Esau’s blessing (which was to be bestowed upon the firstborn).

Jacob fled the country for some twenty years to get away from Esau, and for good reason. Esau was a noted hunter and he wanted to kill Jacob. “Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, ‘The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob’" (Genesis 27:41).

Hiding from something or someone for twenty years can build up a lot of fear if you let it, but the same thing can happen over twenty days if left unchecked.So how does one deal with “great fear and distress”? Just the way Jacob did. “Then Jacob prayed, ‘O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac…Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children’”(Genesis 32:9,11).

Corrie ten Boom, most noted for her book, The Hiding Place, asked the question, “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” It’s a great question. One you use to steer yourself daily through life and the other is used only in an emergency. Which is it for you?

Prayer is also a faith injector, and faith is what will conquer your fears. Your prayer doesn’t have to be long or eloquent either; it just needs to come from the heart. Nor is prayer meant to be a monologue, but rather a two-way communication between a Father and His son or daughter.

There is a song titled, “Prayer is the Key” sung by the Prophets Quartet that says, “Prayer is the key to Heaven, but faith unlocks the door.” The good news is that Jesus has given you the keys. “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19). Prayer is the key to binding your fear and loosing your faith. So what are you waiting for? Kick your fear to hell!

Prayer: Forgive me Lord where I have made prayer out to be more complicated than it really is. I want prayer to be my steering wheel in life. May I desire to meet with you on a regular basis and just speak from my heart. Thank You Jesus for the keys to living a victorious life on earth. In Jesus name, amen.