Part 3: How To Call On God In A Crisis Series

Great Prayers of the Old Testament

Part 3: How to Call on God in a Crisis

Genesis 32:1-12

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared October 10, 2024)

BACKGROUND:

*Today we will study another great prayer from the Old Testament. But first, remember that the Holy Spirit put over 200 prayers in the Bible. God must have done this to show us that He wants us to pray, that prayer is important, and that prayer is powerful. God also uses these prayers to teach us how to pray. Another major reason why God put so many prayers in the Bible is because He wants our relationship with Him to grow closer and stronger every day. That's what salvation is: A close personal relationship with God the Father through faith in our crucified and risen Savior Jesus Christ, made personal through the presence of God's Holy Spirit in our life. And prayer helps us have a closer walk with God. (1)

*Last time in Genesis 18, God met face to face with Abraham and Sarah. The LORD came down to confirm His promise of a son to this very old couple. But God also came down to tell Abraham about His decision to destroy Sodom and her wicked sister-cities. When we last saw Abraham, he was praying for God to spare Sodom, if even 10 righteous men could be found in the city. And Abraham's prayer taught us a lot.

*Today in Genesis 32, we move forward about 150 years to Abraham’s grandson, Jacob. His parents, Isaac and Rebekah had been childless for 20 years when God gave them their twin sons. And Genesis 25:22-23 tells us that:

22. . . the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I this way?'' So she went to inquire of the LORD.

23. And the LORD said to her: "Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.''

*God said that Esau the older brother would serve Jacob the younger. But their father Isaac stubbornly rejected God's choice of the younger son. When it came to the crucial family blessing, Isaac wanted to give the blessing to his favorite son, Esau. But Rebekah led Jacob, her favorite, to use lies and tricks to deceive his blind, old father Isaac. And since the blessing usually went to the firstborn son, Esau was greatly offended. He hated his younger brother so much that he planned to murder Jacob just as soon as their father passed away.

*Mom desperately wanted her favorite to be out of harm's way, and she persuaded Isaac to send Jacob to her brother's home to search for a godly wife. Jacob was running for his life, and headed for the safety of his uncle's home, when God revealed Himself to him. Genesis 28:11-14 says:

11. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.

12. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

13. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.

14. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

*It's very important to skip forward about 17 centuries to the time when Jesus began choosing his disciples. John 1:43-51 says this:

43. The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me.''

44. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

45. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.''

46. And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?'' Philip said to him, "Come and see.''

47. Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!''

48. Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?'' Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.''

49. Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!''