Feeling Blessed
Jacob was destined to be a blessed man. Before he was born, it was prophesied that he would become a ruling nation and be served by his older brother (Gen. 25:23). With one well-timed pot of stew, Jacob stole the valuable birthright from his brother (Gen. 25:27-34). With some deception, he received the promise of blessing from his father. Isaac’s words carried as much weight as prophecy from God. “Now may God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and an abundance of grain and new wine; may peoples serve you and nations bow down to you; be master of your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, and blessed be those who bless you” (Gen. 27:28-29). This settled it. Jacob would be a blessed man.
Not long after receiving that prophetic blessing, Jacob left his family and journeyed north. He left with nothing more than a staff (Gen. 32:10), but over the next twenty years, he became “exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys” (Gen. 30:43). The prophecies had begun to be fulfilled. At this point, Jacob was a blessed man. Blessed by God. Blessed with abundance.
What does a blessed life feel like? You might expect it to be a life filled with joys and pleasures. A life with sweet dreams and no worries. Jacob tells us otherwise.
Being blessed and feeling blessed aren’t the same thing. After leaving his family, Jacob served his father-in-law for twenty years. Looking back on those years, Jacob said to his father-in-law, “That which was torn of beast I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself. You required it of my hand whether stolen by day or stolen by night. Thus I was; by day the heat consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. These twenty years I have been in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, and you changed my wages ten times.” (Gen. 31:39-41). He concludes, “God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands” (Gen. 31:42).
Did you see how Jacob felt and what he endured during these years of blessing? Being blessed did not make all of Jacob’s problems disappear. The flock he watched over was repeatedly attacked by wild beasts and some were killed. Jacob was not negligent or indifferent. He tried to save the flock, but couldn’t save them all. Despite Jacob’s efforts, Laban blamed him and forced him to repay what was lost. I doubt that felt like a blessing.
The threat to the flock was constant. Jacob felt the need to keep watch twenty-four hours a day. The scorching sun beat down on him all day. At night, he endured the opposite. Frost nipped at him. Imagine how frigidly cold Jacob felt on those long, bitter nights. His circumstances were so difficult, and perhaps his worry over the flock was so intense, Jacob could barely sleep. Do you suppose any of that felt like a blessing?
Jacob stayed with his father-in-law but was treated more like a servant…and his boss stunk! Laban changed their agreed upon arrangements, constantly attempting to cheat Jacob. If he’d had his way, Laban would have taken everything from Jacob (Gen. 31:42). That couldn’t have felt like a blessing.
Jacob had experienced twenty years of blessing, but his life had been one of affliction and toil (Gen. 31:42).
His turmoil was not over. After putting Laban in his rear-view mirror once and for all, Jacob turned his attention to the impending confrontation with his brother—the man whose murderous plot had sent Jacob fleeing in the first place. Word came to Jacob that Esau was coming and he wasn’t alone. “Four hundred men are with him” (Gen. 32:6). A small army heading his direction did not bode well. “Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed” (Gen. 32:7).
It turned out that Esau had no ill-intentions. Everything would be fine. Of course, it would be. Jacob was blessed by God and protected by Him. But, being blessed and feeling blessed are two very different things.
There were many times when Jacob could have accurately described himself as cheated, afflicted, oppressed, distressed, worried, sleepless, and fearful. Only if he stepped back and looked at the big picture, would he see things differently. Yes, he was losing sheep, but somehow he had gained a large flock when previously he’d had none. Yes, he was being overcharged and cheated, but somehow he had become wealthy and had servants of his own. He was truly blessed, no matter how he felt.
Has God blessed you? Stress and affliction might make you think He has not. But being blessed and feeling blessed are two very different things.
“So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.” (Gal. 3:9)
“But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.” (Jam. 1:25)
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” (Eph. 1:3)
