The Perspective That Produces Worship
“By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.”
Hebrews 11:21, NKJV
In the beginning of Jacob’s life, he was a deceiver and a taker. Even when he went about receiving God’s blessing the wrong way through lies, deceit, and manipulation, he was a man who desired a relationship with God. In Hebrews 11, Jacob went from a taker to a blesser. God established Jacob in spite of himself.
The Israelites were a nomadic people who didn’t have a history book, identity, or anything to document their journey in during bondage. However, God instructed them to get ready, grab their staff, and mark their doorposts because God was about to do a new thing. God established their story and their testimony through the births of their children and encounters with His blessings. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David were able to draw strength from their staff in their time of need and trouble.
God has blessed us in spite of us. Despite our opinions, bad decisions, and everything that we’ve done, He still shows himself faithful even when we don’t deserve His grace. It’s easy for us in the busyness, disappointments, and discouragement that comes in our lives, to stop carving and to stop writing. God encourages us to remember, to write down, and reflect upon His goodness when He steps into our lives and shows Himself faithful. We tend to forget more than we remember.
We have a testimony. We have a story. We must develop the discipline to track how good God has been and record every time that He has shown up for us. When we look back at the cross, we have an attitude of gratitude. We have the power to be forgiven of our sins, grace that is sufficient, righteousness that is not our own, peace that passes all understanding, and a joy that is unshakeable. The joy of the Lord is our strength.
No matter what we’re facing or what’s going on in the world, there’s a perspective that produces worship. We have a God who not only empathizes with us, but is compassionate towards us, and He moves to action on our behalf. Do we have a staff, journal, or record of everything that God has done? As we change seasons, we are reminded that God is faithful. The God of Jacob is our fortress (Psalms 46:7, NIV). Perspective produces worship, and allows us to lean on who God is and what he’s done, which qualifies us to be blessers.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift of our story. May we remember to lean on our staff as a testimony of your love, grace, mercy, strength, peace, joy, and faithfulness. Our staff is evidence of our encounter with you and all that you have done for us in spite of us. Let us take a moment as we change seasons to write, record, and journal everything that you have done as a reminder of your goodness. Let our perspective produce worship. In Jesus’ name. Amen.