Isaac is about to bless Jacob in one of the most famous stories of deception ever told. (Gen 27)

It’s a hard story. Culturally, the whole idea of a blessing like this is foreign to us.

It can even seem unfair on the surface.

But let’s remember, the surface is all our human eyes can usually see.

God understands and knows what we don’t. And this truth is something we have to remind ourselves of, over and over, in our faith walk.

We want to fit God’s actions with our understanding . We want the ways of an Eternal God to quickly make complete sense in our temporal “but as a breath” lives.

It’s as if we want to be able to explain the whole movie when we are only seeing a two second clip!

That’s our flesh.

But for those in Christ, let’s learn to listen to the Spirit inside of us whispering, “Hold on. You don’t understand everything. God is good. He is at work.”

Let’s look for traces of His Hand but when we can’t see His Hand, when things look bleak, let’s remember, and remind each other, that we can always trust His good heart.

God always has a good purpose and He sees what we don’t.

In fact, as I read Genesis 26, I saw something I had not seen before—Esau actually has a habit of making disobedient and impetuous choices.

Most of us recall him famously selling his birthright for some stew (Gen 25:29-34) and this was before the deception of Jacob by Isaac and Rebekah in Gen 27.

But until just recently, I had missed Gen 26:34-35- where Esau took two wives who did not believe in the One True God and they were a “grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah”.

This disobedience and impetuousness is not something to be blessed.

God knew this about Esau. The fact is he knew that before time began. He knew us before He formed us in our mothers wombs. (Jer 1:5) He knows every word before it is ever on our tongues. (Psalm 139:4).

He sees things we can’t see, and He sovereignly does things and also allows things we don’t understand.

I haven’t understood when those who so faithfully serve the Lord have died so young, people like martyred saint, Jim Elliott.

To be real honest, I didn’t understand when God didn’t stop my first husband from taking his own life. God could’ve showed me where he was when I and many others were searching to find him all those years ago.

But have I seen God bring good things from things I didn’t understand?

Yes. Yes, I have.

I’ve had the privilege of sharing my hard story about our good God and seeing others come to know Jesus.

I’ve read books by Jim Elliot’s widow and heard of the entire village that came to know Jesus after that tragedy.

Oh friend, let’s keep reminding each other to hold on, even when we don’t understand. Let’s trust our Father is at work. Let’s trust His goodness.

For He is so very good.

readGenesis

trustGod

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