Perils and Sorrows of a Contrite Heart — David Wilkerson

This message is one of the Times Square Church pulpit series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing World Challenge, P .O. Box 260, Lindale, Texas, 75771, or calling 903 -963 -8626.

None of these messages are copyrighted, and you are welcome to make copies for free distribution to friends.

The Perils and Sorrows of a Contrite Heart

The perils and sorrows of a contrite heart. Heavenly Father, there are people here this morning that don't understand their sufferings, their pain, and their sorrows, because they have been praying, they love you, they serve you with all their heart, and yet they're going through a trial they don't understand.

And I pray, Lord, that you bring us an understanding by the power of your word this morning. I pray for an unction and anointing of the Holy Ghost that is beyond me. Lord, I can't produce it. I can't produce conviction.

I can't make this word effective. You have to do that. Cleanse me, sanctify me. I pray for the wonderful cleansing and covering of the blood of Jesus, and that everyone in this building be able to hear what the Spirit has to say.

Father, I take your authority in Jesus' name over every principality and power of darkness, and I speak by faith that they are gone, that nothing can hinder the word of the Lord from going forth, I pray in Jesus' name.

Amen. Hallelujah. The perils and sorrows of a contrite heart. Now, to me, one of the most interesting of all Old Testament characters is Jacob. Yep, the cheating, deceiving, manipulating, supplanting Jacob.

This man is incredible, and yet God loved him, and he loved him dearly, and in fact, his life is absolutely filled with marvelous lessons about God's dealings with human nature. And I want to go into his life with you this morning and teach you some things the Lord's been teaching me.

Jacob's Deception and the Covenant Birthright

Now, let me pick up his story as he's fleeing for his life from his brother Esau. Now, remember, he has just, he's already tricked his brother out of the birthright. That's the right of the firstborn to be the head of the clan, and all the, he got a double blessing.

He got a double portion of all his father's belongings, possessions. He got to be ruler over the whole clan, his brothers and sisters, and more than that, he was the progenitor of the covenant that would bring Jesus Christ.

He was to be of the seed. He was to be a patriarch through which the seed of Christ would come, and that was a very spiritual thing, and that shows us the awful thing that Esau did in giving up this inheritance, giving up the firstborn, the rights of the firstborn.

And then, he pretends to be Esau, and his mother covers him with skin because he was fair and smooth-skinned, and his brother Esau was hairy, and he goes in and pretends to be Esau and gets the blessing.

Esau comes in, of course, you remember, and the blessing is gone, and Esau says, He supplanted me two times now. He took away first my birthright, and behold now, he hath taken away my blessing. And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father had blessed him.

And Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand, then I will slay my brother Jacob. He was, he was determined to kill Jacob. Of course, Rebekah, hearing this, goes to Isaac, his father, and tells the story.

And so, they send him off on a trip to Paddan Aram to her brother Laban's house to find a wife. And his mother, as well, has said, Go and find a wife, not a Canaanite wife, but among our own kind in Paddan Aram, and come back when your brother Esau cools off.

Jacob's Dream at Bethel and God's Covenant Promises

And we pick up the story in Genesis 28, if you'll go to Genesis 28, if you will, please. Genesis 28. And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel, thy mother's father, and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban, thy mother's brother. And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people.

Verse 7. And Jacob obeyed his father and mother, and was gone to Paddan Aram. Verse 10. Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went unto Haran, and he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set.

And he took the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and he lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven, and behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

Behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy father, and the God of Isaac, the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth.

Thou shalt spread abroad to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south. And in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Now that was speaking of Jesus Christ and the family of God.

And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee. Listen to these covenant promises, as God now makes covenant with Jacob. And behold, I am with thee, and I will keep thee in all places, whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land.

For I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. And he's afraid, and said, how dreadful is this place.

This is none other but the house of God. This is the gate of heaven. God does an incredible thing. He gives an open heaven to this man. Now this ladder that Jacob saw with angels coming and going, now this really in the original is a staircase, a passage by which angels were going to and from the throne of God.

Now this was not staged for his benefit. This was not some special effect that God was giving to him for the sake of a vision. He was literally taking back the curtains showing him the activity that's going on all the time.

These ministering angels coming down to earth to minister to men, to guide, to lead, the angels of the Lord that camp around about them that fear him, and keep them from dashing their foot against the stone, the angels that guard children, the angels that are sent on his behalf ministering to the children of God.

He saw this, and by the way folks, not one of those angels have aged a day, or a month, or a week, or an hour. They're the same angels, and they're still there. The ladder is still there. The passage is still there.

Those angels are coming and going. Hallelujah. Folks, I've seen, I've seen the work of angels all around me. I don't know if you have or not, but I've seen. I don't worship angels, but I know they're sent to minister to the children of God.

Those angels are still there. Jacob sees the Lord above it all. The Lord brought Jacob into the covenant blessing of Abraham and Isaac. In thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. He's saying, I have accepted you into this seed.

You are the firstborn. You have the birthright now, because you have the birthright. Now I'm going to bestow on you the covenant blessings that your father Abraham and Isaac. And it will be, we even today we talk about the father we serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

And behold, listen to these promises. I am with you. I will keep thee in all your, all the places where you go. I will not leave you until I have done all that I have spoken to thee of. Now Jacob is given by an oath.

God said, I am NOT going to leave you. Every step you take, I'll be with you. There's never going to be a move you make that I'm not involved in. And he says, I am going to ultimately bring you to the purpose that I have.

My eternal purpose for you is going to be fulfilled. No matter what, it's going to be accomplished. Now I look at that picture and something rises up in me. I say, now, wait a minute, Lord. Do you know who you're making these wonderful promises to?

Have you forgotten who he is? This man has just, just come hours before from one of the worst deceptive, manipulative moves in history. He goes to a blind father who can't see, weak, bedridden. Cooks him a good meal.

His mother cooked him a meal, and he is lying. Three times he lies to this blind, weak father. And he steals the blessing. He's a manipulator. He's a thief. He's covetous. And I'm trying to search the scripture to find some reason why God would bless him.

And I can't find any faith in the man. I can't find any goodness in the man. I can't find any grace in the man. I said, God, why would you say you love this man? Esau I hated and Jacob I loved. Why did you love this man?

What did you see in him that shortly after, you're not, you're not correcting him for this? I know that you, there is no sin in my heavenly father. I know that you don't endure these kind of things. Why did you endure this?

Why didn't you correct him? Why are you blessing him just hours after he's stolen something? Well, you have to go to the scripture because only scripture answers scripture. I'm tell you, God loved this man and God saw something in his heart that brought forth this love and this great desire to bless him.

God's Choice of Jacob and the Contrite Heart

And I'm saying, God, why did you appoint him the birthright from the womb? Remember, Jacob came out of the womb with his hands grabbing Esau's heel. It says, no, it's mine. And God honored that. God had chosen, in fact, God came to his mother when both boys were in the womb and there was a struggle and she couldn't, she couldn't explain and ask God for explanation.

He said, it's because there are two nations in you and the elder will serve the younger. He's going to have the birthright in otherwise. The younger God, this was all God's mind. God saw something in these men.

He, he, and you'll see it unfold as we go on. I don't want to get ahead of the story. His very name, Jacob, means supplanter. That means one who trips up another to take his place. Through scheming to overthrow another to replace him.

Now, certainly God took this all into account because he's a God of holiness. He does not stand for manipulation, cheating, and obnoxious ways. And Jacob at this time is old enough to know better. He's at least, he can be no less than 40 years of age and some believe he was at least 70.

He was not a boy. He should have known better. There should have been some, something in his character by now that shows. And I asked the Lord the question, what do you have to see in a man before you make covenant with him, Lord?

What is it that you, you, you are looking for in this human vessel that you can bless? What is it that was in Jacob? What did you see? And so we go to the scripture for the answer. I found it in Isaiah 57, 15.

I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that's of a contrite heart and a humble spirit. To revive the spirit of the humble, revive the heart of the contrite ones. He is here by his spirit reviving this man.

This man is dejected. He's on the run and God by his spirit is reviving him. He is blessing him. He's honoring him. The scripture also says in Isaiah 66 too, but to this man will I look. You can finish that, can't you?

Even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembles at my word. Now man's always looking on the outward appearance, but God is always looking at the heart. Man all can see in Jacob is covetousness.

All they can see is the greed and the manipulation, but God saw beyond his flesh. He saw something in his heart. He saw a contrite broken spirit. He saw something that was willing in his heart to be changed.

He knew what he was, but he was wanting to be changed. It was always there and the story will unfold you. I can prove it to you from the scripture that that's what God saw. You see God is always looking for that broken contrite heart that he can work on.

He can't do anything for an Esau type who takes the things of God for granted, who weeps just phony tears of repentance. This man's heart was hard. He was sensuous. Esau was sensuous. God, you don't find him suffering.

There's no there's no evidence of him even suffering even though he's a part of the covenant. You don't see that at all. There are Christians that seem to be able to just float through life because there's no eternal purpose for them.

They're just trying to make it through life. God has no plan for their life because God does not work in these kind of situations. He's looking for the Jacob type. There are some people you say, how can God ever use him?

How can God ever use her? My goodness, there's some of you saying that to yourself right now. Lord, how can you ever use me? I'm so weak. I've got so many inconsistencies in my life. This man was totally inconsistent as far as humanity is concerned according to those who see him by the flesh.

But the Lord says to this man, he's looking at Jacob to this man, Jacob I'll look because he is poor and spirit of contrite spirit and he trembles at my word. Now, I know that he trembles at the word and I want to show you something.

I believe that all his lifetime Jacob heard Isaac his father tell about his father Abraham about the time that he was laid on an altar and my father lifted a knife and God stopped him and there was a lamb and he told this story my father like your grandfather went into covenant with God God made an agreement and He was a holy God and all his life He heard about this birthright that goes to the firstborn and all his lifetime he remembers the dream his mother had that he Jacob was going to be that and Jacob must have thrilled at the thought that this man who is the head of the clan Who carries on this torch that he's going to be one of those in the lineage of a Messiah that was to come.

There was a great spiritual thing to this that Jacob saw and Jacob looks at his brother Esau. He knows he's a profane man. He's married to Canaanite wives. He's grieved his father and his mother. This man is earthly.

He's sensuous. He has no life or love for God whatsoever. And Jacob says if he gets this this holy seed is going to fall into the hands of a polluted man. And I believe there's no way I don't I a 40 year old man is not going to go into this Agreement with his mother.

His mother knew that too. She knew the sensuality of Esau. The the whole clan is going to be in the hands of a sensuous polluted man. This man Jacob Knew something about the spiritual impact and the meaning of the of the covenant and of the birthright.

And he says I want it. There's no evidence that he wanted for selfish purposes because he flees he's gone for at least 20 years. He's not the head of the clan. He doesn't make any effort to get an army come back and possess it.

It's clear in my mind that Jacob Had a spiritual hunger there was something deep in his heart a yearning a longing for God. And I want to tell you no matter what you're going through now. If you have a heart that reaches out to God repentance you tremble at God's Word.

God is going to touch your life. God is going to use you. God sees beyond all of these Inconsistencies to that heart that's broken that knows how to go in his presence and yield to the Word and to the Spirit.

I See know the reason why God Would allow this plan to go on. I See another reason why God didn't come in and interfere. He saw something in Jacob's heart. He saw the spiritual meaning of these actions.

Covenant Promises Do Not Exclude Suffering

Now God has given to us Some wonderful new covenant promises. He's promised to keep us from falling and present us faultless before the throne of God with exceeding joy. He's promised to bless us with all heavenly blessings in Christ Jesus.

He's promised us as he did to Jacob to be with us every place we go every action every work of our hands. He's promised to fulfill his word. He's promised to fulfill his eternal purpose for every one of our lives.

He's made us those same covenant promises. But God does not covenant with anyone with everyone who claims to be a believer. God does not work in covenant with everyone who claims who cries out Lord Lord.

No. He only Comes to those who have this broken spirit and a contrite heart who have a heart for God. God can love and bless the Jacob type the one who knows he has inconsistencies. He knows he needs a lot of work in his life.

He knows He's weak. But he has a willingness to be changed to be molded by the hand of God. There's something always breaking. There's always something Yielding in the life of Jacob now contrite means broken in spirit by a sense of guilt a condition of being sincerely repentant.

With a hatred for sin and a willingness to change. That's what contrite means even in the dictionary in Webster's dictionary a detesting of sin and a desire to change a Repentant broken spirit because of a sense of guilt of having done wrong.

David was such a man. He was a man of many weaknesses. Inconsistencies and corruption. He had a sensuality problem. He murdered a man. He was caught in deception and adultery. Just like Jacob he had inconsistencies.

So but David had a tender heart. He had a teachable heart. He had a heart that was willing to be changed. No wonder David could say the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and save as such as of a be of a contrite spirit.

Jacob, Rachel, and the Sorrows of Family Life

So Jacob sets off to Patanerum Under covenant now and he's so happy. He said God go with me every step and sure enough as soon as he gets into the land. There are some shepherds. They know Laban and they say oh by the way, there's his daughter.

Here comes a beautiful young lady by the name of Rachel. She's leading the sheep to water and there's a big stone there. So muscle man ready to show his Show off. He goes it's not even time that they they're not supposed to roll up stones all the sheep are in and he's one of the first and he gets in there rolls the stone off and starts watering the sheep and He says I'm Jacob Rebecca's son.

And that was her aunt and she she runs off course. He kissed her right off. I would say he kissed her and wept and Can't you imagine the excitement in Jacob? He said this covenant life is something this is wonderful.

Look how God's me just like he said he's gonna leave me. He led me to most beautiful. She gonna be my wife. That's good. Lord. I love covenants. He can't wait to get to Laban's house. He's there and he's received and he's hired immediately as a shepherd and Laban says now even though you're my nephew I'm not gonna have you work free of charge.

What what do you want for wages? I want her. I'll work seven years for her. And the by a thing. Can you imagine two thousand five hundred fifty five days? I counted seven years times 365. And he said those seven years were but as a day There's nothing because of the love he had for Rachel.

Can you imagine all those nights? Cold and Heat and he's got this great love. This is wonderful Covenant bleeding just as God said he would do. Hmm love at first sight. So seven years are finished wedding day and Rachel Tom's they have the celebration and It's evident that he Married Rachel but as was a custom they had a celebration and when the celebration is done Jacob as custom and went to went to his Tent he waited for his veiled bride to be brought by the father to the tent.

The celebration is over the self ceremony. Everything is over and Jacob goes to his tent. But Laban has another idea. He said in our country in our society You don't marry off your younger daughter first the older gets married first.

So he works a scheme With his oldest daughter Leah now. Leah is weak eyed and not very pretty evidently. She's not attractive. And now she had to have been in love with Jacob too, or she wouldn't got along with this.

I assure you Nobody wants a husband that bad. I don't know I don't know I'd take that back. They have this scheme. She dresses up she puts on her bridal gown and of course, she's veiled and it's late at night and and and It comes Leah into the tent.

Of course, there's probably not a sound less her voice gives away. She's and Then she wants no light in the tent. She blows out the candle and of course she just whispers less her voice gives her away and And what a time that must have been.

I wonder how many sweet nothing's sweet things. He said in to Leah's you're calling her Rachel. And I wonder how many dreams he shared with her. I want to be talked half the night saying Oh, I want how many children.

I want 10 children. I want 12 really I want 12 kids and he's sharing all his dreams and everything thinking this is Rachel. He's finally got his love and he never knew That night that the woman in his arms was another woman by the name of Leah the older daughter until morning morning always Tells the truth you want to know what I look like look at me in the morning.

It gets up. You're not Rachel. He runs to Laban. He said you deceived me. Now. That's something coming from Jacob. You deceived me said well, it's the custom here. So tell you what you fulfill her week of honeymoon and then you take Rachel also in this the scripture says and he went in also unto Rachel and he loved also Rachel.

Rachel more than Leah and Served with him yet seven other years. Now listen to this place. It says he loved Rachel more than me. He has two wives now. This man is now a bigamist or what do you what do you call?

That's more than one wife. Bigamist. All right, and he's got a polygamist. That's it. He's a polygamist and You know something these these sisters despise one another. The scripture makes that very very clear and and it says he loved Rachel more than Leah.

But the scripture really very bears out that he hated Leah. In fact, the next verse says when the Lord saw Leah was hated. He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Now I want you to picture it time goes by a little time goes by he's got two women now.

He's got two wives at home arguing Leah the scripture says accused her of stealing her husband he was rightfully mine and somehow you must have seduced him and This this thing is going on and now he's tied down to seven years of slave labor.

His wages are going to be changed on him ten times and he's out in the open field and now He's looking at his covenant walk and he's saying I know in human nature. I know he had to have it out with God.

He said look, how did I end up in this kind of mess if you made me a covenant? You told me that that your hand is upon me and that you loved me and you would walk with me. You would guide me in every step that I take you would be there.

Why didn't you stop this? Why didn't you hinder this? Why am I now in the midst of a marital problem and I'm sure he surmised all the problems. This is going to cause him right down. He had seen this happen in his brother Esau's life.

And he says here I am now. I am no position to provide for my family I I have I can't make future plans because I'm tied down to this evil man for the next seven years. And I know he's going to cheat me.

He's going to try to rob his daughters of every bit of their inheritance. I won't have an inheritance. I have no future Lord. What kind of covenant walk is this? You know We have the idea that you come to the Lord and you pray and you have a broken heart and you serve him.

God loves you. You have these wonderful promises of God. God says some wonderful things to your heart and you say. Surely all things now are going to work together for good to them. Love God and a called according to his purpose.

Why should I have to suffer the way I suffer? Why should I have to go through this. I Want you to know that it doesn't look like it but God was still with this man. God still loved him folks. We make choices in this life.

We make our own choices. God has given us a free will that free will may be corrupted because of the fall. But we still have a free will and we make decisions. You Said well, well, maybe he didn't pray about it.

Maybe he chose by flesh. He chose by beauty rather than taking it to God. Maybe Leah was supposed to be his wife. I Know some ladies said well, I don't look at the flesh. I just want to make sure he has a good spirit a good mind and pretty eyes or something.

But I don't care about muscles. I don't care about all of that.

This is the end of side one. You may now turn the tape over to side two.

Beside the point. That's not the issue. God could have intervened at any time, but he didn't. God didn't intervene. Folks walking in covenant with God does not. There's no place in this book that guarantees that you will not suffer as a child of God that you won't face peril.

Many Afflictions, Yet Deliverance

You will face all kinds of difficulties. You will cry you will weep and you'll wonder sometimes God. Where are you? Why didn't you stop it? You can have marital problems and still be loved by God broken in spirit and contract before God.

You still have marital problems. How many of you haven't had? Some marital problems. How many of you are going through marital problems now you say Lord I don't understand because I've never walked closer to you.

I know I walk in covenant with you. I know that my heart is right. I weep I cry I pray I worship you in church. I'm faithful Oh God. Why are you still allowing me to endure this? He said many are the afflictions of the righteous but delivers them he delivers them not from them but out of them all.

You're gonna see later how God delivered him out of all of his difficulties, but he allowed them to go through them. He allowed Jacob what you talk about time of Jacob's trouble taken from his very life few men have Suffered such family problems as Jacob.

But tragic situations and sorrows of all kinds his special love Rachel. He doesn't know is a secret idolater and that's why God shut her womb. She couldn't have a child for years. Because she had stolen her father's images his idols.

In fact when Jacob took off years later in the middle of the night had begun three days Laban would have left them go but he discovered that someone in Jacob's clan had stolen his idols and when he comes with his troop and accuses Jacob and his family of stealing the idols Rachel runs into her tent and Hides and listen what the scripture says and she hid them in the camels furniture.

Because she had stolen them and set upon them and she said to her father now father came into the tent looking let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee for the custom of women is upon me as.

And he searched but found not his images. Now Jacob was totally unaware of all this. He was incensed that he would be accused of that No way knowing that his most loved beautiful Rachel was a secret idolater and.

And so much so that she would lie and she would hide it from everybody. It's a good thing Leah didn't know about it. She'd have ratted on him for sure. This had gotten rid of her competition all of this is unknown to Jacob and Meanwhile, Leah's giving birth to one boy child after another in fact six sons and every time she has a son.

She says perhaps now my husband will love me and every time she had a child He wouldn't love her in the scripture. It's because the Lord knows that I was hated. No, think of what's happening at Jacob's like here's a woman whose whole life is ruined.

She has a husband who doesn't love her. She gives him one child after another. He still doesn't love her his her sister isn't raised against her. She has no future her life is In ruins, this is a troubled family.

I'm very troubled family and Jake Jacob has first of all deep marrow problems. He's got family problems. He's now he's got sorrow on the job. You think at least one area of his life would be undisturbed.

He's disturbed an area of his life because now the Laban is looking at him suspiciously and all the sons. He's already stolen. The scripture says the daughter said he's devoured our money. He devoured the inheritance of his daughters and now Jacob is being blessed and he's jealous in his sons and they are speaking rebellion and mutiny against Jacob and.

And God again comes to Jacob in a dream and he says go back to Bethel to the place where I first met you. Go back and build an altar there as you promised. Now Jacob obeys God and he's walking now in total obedience.

Jacob Wrestles With God in the Greatest Peril

Now I want you to follow me closely. Jacob is now going into the greatest peril of his life, even though he's on the path of obedience. He's going to come to the brink of disaster. He's thinking in his mind that it's the end of all things because he's going toward Bethel now toward his homeland.

He's going back to Esau face him. He's going back to his father Isaac and a messenger comes and says your brother Esau is heading this way with an army of 400 men and he's out to get you and The panic that hits this man you say well, why why now here?

He's got marital problems. He's got career problems. He's got all of these troubles all around him. And now he's obeying God. He's loved by God. He's got a broken heart Contract before God and now he's allowed to go through the most fearful experience in his life.

He almost said God is not fair and he divides his plan into two groups and he's gonna send Leah and a Cattle and everything and he's going to try to appease his brother and then the second he says if the first group are Slain the second group can escape.

Here's where we find out. What is really in Jacob's heart? Here's where we can prove to you that this man had a heart that's broken and contrary before God. Look at chapter 32. Turn over to chapter 32.

It's all going to come together for you in just a moment. Chapter 32. Getting to read at verse 9. 32 verse 9 and Jacob said Oh God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac. He's calling on covenant partner now.

It's coming apartment the Lord which said unto me return Under thy country into thy kindred and I will deal well with thee. He's saying Lord you told me to go this way and I'm walking in obedience. I'm not worthy of the least of all thy mercies and of all thy truth.

There's his broken contrite humble spirit. I'm not worthy of the least of all thy mercies know all the truth which thou has shown unto thy servant. For with my staff I've passed over this Jordan and now have become two bands.

Deliver me. I pray thee from the hand of my brother from the hand of Esau for I fear him lest he will come and smite me and the mother and the children and thou saidest I will surely do thee good and make thy seed of the sand of the Sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

Look at me now, please now. He's he's putting God to the covenant. He's saying God who made me but I'm not worthy of this. I know who I am. I know what my name means He said but now you in this path of obedience you brought me to the brink of total despair God You told me you would go with me.

You made me wonderful promises. You spoke into my life and now look I'm about to lose my family. I'm about to lose everything. Where is your covenant? I'm not claiming any goodness. I'm not claiming any work, but I know I love you.

I know that I'm obeying you. But it looks like everything is collapsed everything is blown up. Everything is out of control. Everything is out of divine order because an army is coming down on him. Put yourself in that place and all the things that God has said to you and promised you and you look at the Word of God and Then suddenly you're faced the situation that's life and death.

You look at something facing you. It looks like it's gonna bring you down. There's no way out. Then you run to God say what about your word and you hold God to the word. And folks that night you remember that Jacob has it out with the angel of the Lord with the Lord himself and There he gets his name changed.

He gets his character changed. Of course, you know That God delivered him and someone said well Oh, I know why God delivered you see up to this time evidently Jacob suffered in his covenant walk. Because he really wasn't a man of prayer.

But now he is because he's been called a prince with power with God and he's prevailed now. He has faith. He was weak in his faith. And that's why he suffered walking in covenant with God. That's why He made all these mistakes.

He didn't pray. He didn't have power. But now he's got power. He doesn't have to suffer anymore. Oh, that's the theology that's in the church today. You get your theology right you you get your power with God you learn to pray and you don't have to suffer anymore.

You just rebuke the devil and he'll flee you rebuke every devout you'd rebuke everything. You've got the power. Now, you don't Jacob. That's why Esau didn't kill you you had the power now. Well, he saw he make up go their way.