Genesis 31 -- My Kind Of God

The sidebar in my Bible really nailed down something that was very evident in this chapter – the omnipotence of God.  Jacob had come to realize and shared with his family how God had overruled every attempt by Laban to cause Jacob loss and what seemed like setbacks at first were nothing in the end.

The sidebar compared it all to kids playing in a mountain stream, creating little dams and ponds, thinking they had really achieved something.  Yet the water continued to flow into that area and then on down the mountain.  Even the giant dams and lakes and locks that nations build today only slow the flow and do not halt it.  The writer compared that powerful, unceasing flow to the power of God in our lives:

“In our lives, so many things – our sins and mistakes, the accidents of history, the sins of others  against us – may divert and temporarily defeat God’s plans and purposes.  But even in new circumstances created by evils, ills, and accidents, God will provide other channels to carry out His ultimate will …. That God is omnipotent means He has the ability to achieve His purposes.  To say God is all-powerful means that nothing can happen which will ultimately defeat Him … The ultimate will of God can NEVER be finally defeated.”

Father, I’ve seen so many times how, despite every indication, You’ve always triumphed over the best efforts of men, Satan, and even my sin to undo Your will.  Yet You have a plan for every contingency, including my sin, and You’re able to use even what others mean for evil to produce good in my life.  I wouldn’t want any other God than You – my Rock, my Strength, and my Provider.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford