Who Are You Confident In?

Who Are You Confident In?

Genesis 32:1-21

When you experience fear, have confidence in God not yourself.

God assures Jacob of His presence. (1-2)

Jacob fears meeting Esau. (3-8)

Jacob asks God to help. (9-12)

Jacob depends on his own plans. (13-21)

For the Next Lesson – Genesis 32:1-21

1. Warm-up – Can you think of a situation you have faced that was very difficult and fearful for you (like nauseous fearful!!)? What was the situation? How did you handle it, and how did it turn out?

2. Read verses 1-2. As Jacob was returning home, he was about to meet his older brother Esau. How do you think Jacob was feeling as he anticipated seeing Esau, and how long had it been since he saw his brother (see Genesis 27:41, 31:41)? Why do you think God sent his angels to Jacob in this moment? How do you think the presence of the angels affected Jacob? See also Genesis 31:3.

3. Read verses 3-12. What did Jacob learn about Esau, and how did Jacob feel (see verses 6-7)? Jacob then reached out to God in prayer. Take a few moments to dissect Jacob’s prayer and make at least 10 observations about Jacob’s prayer. What about Jacob’s prayer can encourage or challenge you in your own prayer life? How can you put this into action?

4. Read verses 13-21. What else did Jacob do to prepare for the meeting with his brother? Why did he do this? What was his motivation, fear or faith? How so?

5. So what. When you face daunting, overwhelming and fearful circumstances how do you typically respond? How do you cope with your fear? Do typically remember that you are not alone and God is with you? Do you typically run to God in prayer? As you consider this passage, how do you want to respond to challenging and fearful situations? How could you grow in this area?