Do you ever feel like you are always at the mercy of what is happening around you? I have, many times. For nearly 38 years I have lived as a foreigner. This has put me in what feels like a very precarious position. I’m at the mercy of the office of immigration wherever I have lived. It feels uncomfortable at times because visas need renewing every so often. In my case, I’ve had to have my visa renewed every two years.
If you ever thought that overseas missions work was simple, you were wrong. Before traveling and living overseas, I didn’t ever think of the need for visas to live in a place. In fact, I don’t think I even knew what a visa was at that time. But now, this is one of the first things we consider when moving. How can we live in the country? What visa is needed? How long can we live on that visa?
Notice I said that visas are “one of the first” things we consider. But visas are not the first thing we think of, not even close.
At the mercy of others, not a comfortable place
I recently wrote about Jacob and Esau. They were two brothers at odds, coming from a family at odds. Jacob, the younger, was a thief and deceiver. He stole from his brother twice and deceived his father. Before encountering God in Genesis 32, he rarely thought of the consequences of his actions. He only thought of himself. Jacob was selfish; I don’t believe that he gave much thought to anyone but himself
Jacob was at the mercy of his own whims, which was a dangerous place. When we live with only ourselves in mind, the circumstances around us will dictate our each and every move. Jacob ended up facing theft and deception due to the surroundings he later found himself in. He was at the mercy of those he served. It wasn’t a comfortable place.
Our lifelong wrestling match
But in the middle of Jacob’s, and our, whims, God is there. He extends His mercy, which is far different from what we experience in this world. But if we, like Jacob, dare to end our lifelong wrestling match with God, we would live not at His mercy – but in His mercy.
Jacob’s life radically changed after his meeting with God in Genesis 32. He went from living at God’s mercy to in it. Before, however, he was a person whose life was governed by his own knee-jerk reactions. He would turn to God if it was convenient and if God would meet his conditions.
“Jacob also made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the Lord will be my God.’”
Genesis 28:20,21 NASB
Even with this mindset, God was with Jacob. I wonder how much trouble he would have avoided if he had had his wrestling match with God sooner. He wasn’t ready to surrender in Genesis 28. But by the time Genesis 32 rolled around, Jacob was ready to live in God’s mercy. That’s the best place to be.
The details of how, what, and why
If you fast-forward the story of Jacob’s life, you will see that he changed from being impulsive and self-reliant. He became someone who leaned on God for every moment for the rest of his life. He went from being a spoiled liar to a worshiper (see Hebrews 11:21).
The first thing I think of before making any decision is, “What does God want?” The details of visas—how, what, and why—don’t mean very much in the grand scheme of things. What matters is what has God said? As I live in His mercy, everything else falls into place.
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