Gen 32:9-11, And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who didst say to me, 'Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,' I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which Thou hast shown to Thy servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me, the mothers with the children.
	In our previous consideration of this passage, we spent time with Jacob and Jehoshaphat in terms of their dealings with God as they feared for their very survival. In each case, there was that concern for the heritage of the Lord becoming null and void as the enemy and death confronted the very lives of these men. There was a calling out to God for salvation and a turning to Him as the only means by which their survival would be accomplished. 
	The aspect of the counting upon God to manifest Himself for His plan and His purpose to be fulfilled was intertwined with the recognition that everything of good in these men’s lives and in the lives of those affected under the guidance of these men was solely based on what God had promised and what He had accomplished. The every nature of their outcry was formed around the realization that God was the Provider of all good things and that He was, Alone, able to maintain and to cause that goodness and that promised blessing to flourish.
	This now brings us to several passages in the Psalms which correlate marvelously into an even deeper relationship with God as the Savior and the Safety of His Chosen People. Please turn to Ps 18:1-6 and let us read it together. Ps 18:1-6, "I love Thee, O Lord, my strength." The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies. The cords of death encompassed me, And the torrents of ungodliness terrified me. The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears. 
	We see that the Psalmist has a very excellent view of the saving hand of God in operation in his life and in his dread about all the forces that were arrayed against him. Notice the various descriptions of how he felt so threatened in his environment. Enemies, cords of death, torrents of ungodliness, terrified, cords of Sheol, surrounded, the snares of death, confronted, my distress. This is a man who is in the stranglehold of despair and hatred and animosity and vicious attack. All the walls seemed to be collapsing upon him, and in that dire suffering, agony, and misery, he called out to God to save Him. 
	In the course of that seeking after God, we find the following terminology to encourage and to reinforce and to proclaim the victory of God’s saving grace. Love, strength, rock, fortress, my deliverer, refuge, shield, horn of my salvation, my stronghold, Worthy to be praised, I am saved, He heard my voice, my cry…came into His ears. Despite all the suffocating fear and anxiety and trembling despondency that surrounded him, the Psalmist cried unto the Lord and he was heard. He experienced the freedom that was the result of God’s mighty Hand of deliverance. 
	Thus should be the experience of our hearts as we are pressed so severely by the trials and the stresses and the tribulations of this realm. We are to seek after the Lord with all immediacy and call upon Him in the manner of rejoicing in His worthiness to be praised. Please note that the knowledge that God is worthy of all praise and honor and adoration is at the very center of this passage of hope and deliverance. As the Psalmist found himself being so threatened from all sides, he reminded himself of the fact that he belonged to God and that God had promised all safety and security in Himself for those who will but call upon and believe in Him. This is the manner in which we are to encourage our hearts as we have such a tendency to forget and to ferment in our faithlessness. 
	Next, let us pay further attention to the Psalmist as we read together Ps 31:11-20. Ps 31:11-20, Because of all my adversaries, I have become a reproach, Especially to my neighbors, And an object of dread to my acquaintances; Those who see me in the street flee from me. I am forgotten as a dead man, out of mind, I am like a broken vessel. For I have heard the slander of many, Terror is on every side; While they took counsel together against me, They schemed to take away my life. But as for me, I trust in Thee, O Lord, I say, "Thou art my God." My times are in Thy hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me. Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant; Save me in Thy lovingkindness. Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, for I call upon Thee; Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol. Let the lying lips be dumb, Which speak arrogantly against the righteous With pride and contempt. How great is Thy goodness, Which Thou hast stored up for those who fear Thee, Which Thou hast wrought for those who take refuge in Thee, Before the sons of men! Thou dost hide them in the secret place of Thy presence from the conspiracies of man; Thou dost keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues. 
	How many of us have had this exact sense of being utterly forsaken by our acquaintances and supposed friends? This is most often the case when we are going through those so difficult times in which all that would serve to draw friendly attention from this world is shattered and sundered. When we have nothing of this age to offer those who are seeking to benefit from their association with us, we become social outcasts and objects of derision. At those times, when it seems that we are utterly alone in our sorrow and grief, we are left with nothing else but our trust in God to manifest Himself in the order of our very survival. 
	This is nothing to fear or to dread because, as we are so instructed in this passage, we are freed from everything that would otherwise dissuade us from seeking God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our being. It is when we have nothing to lose that we so often find ourselves trusting God and discovering the very joy and satisfaction of His deliverance and His lovingkindness. 
	This is a great mystery that many Christians have not as yet discovered because they are too busy trying to hold onto those elements of this age in which they place their trust and safety. As long as our hearts are so inclined, we are not open to hear the truth that the Psalmist declared, But as for me, I trust in Thee, O Lord, I say, "Thou art my God." My times are in Thy hand… 
Thus we are brought into the peace and the security that God will supply our every need through His mighty provision of love in Jesus Christ. This is not just a pretty sentiment or a verse to be sung and forgotten. It becomes our every source of strength and trust in Him to do exactly as He has promised today, tomorrow, and forever. 
	We join our hearts with the Psalmist as recorded in Ps 61:1-4, Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to Thee, when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For Thou hast been a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in Thy tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Thy wings. Selah. 
	We learn that as we call on the Lord, as we trust in Him to do His excellent work, as we see Him in operation making a way in the desert of our lives where there was no way, He brings forth springs of living water to refresh and to establish lusciousness of life where there once was only decay and dust and rubble and death. It is then that we will know that the Lord is truly faithful in even the smallest aspects of this life which He has created in us in Jesus Christ. 
	In that reality, let us read the response that should spring forth from our hearts as individuals and as the corporate Body of Christ. Ps 118:1-17. Ps 118:1-17, Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Oh let Israel say, "His lovingkindness is everlasting." Oh let the house of Aaron say, "His lovingkindness is everlasting." Oh let those who fear the Lord say, "His lovingkindness is everlasting." From my distress I called upon the Lord; The Lord answered me and set me in a large place. The Lord is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me; Therefore I shall look with satisfaction on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord Than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord Than to trust in princes. All nations surrounded me; In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off. They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off. They surrounded me like bees; They were extinguished as a fire of thorns; In the name of the Lord I will surely cut them off. You pushed me violently so that I was falling, But the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. I shall not die, but live, And tell of the works of the Lord. Amen.
	How glorious should our worship of God be in the context of His so great salvation! It transcends the every thought that we have of Who God is and what He has done to establish His life in us. There should be such a triumphant, united declaration of the goodness of God to which each one of us gives heartfelt testimonies of thanksgiving and adoration and rejoicing as we celebrate the victory of God over all the forces that are arrayed against us. 
	How often we forfeit, through our own selfish inclinations the joy and the peace of the victory of Jesus Christ in our lives. Rather than concentrating on all that God has done for us, we lose ourselves in all those things of this world that we don’t or can’t have. We sometimes even bemoan the fact that we are Christians because it means that we are prohibited from indulging in the various activities of this age from which the Holy Spirit protects and guards us. We place ourselves into the very prisons of our own making which box our hearts and our minds in the negativity that so infuses this world that when it comes to honoring God with all our heart and soul and being, we have nothing to offer Him. 
	Even the Psalmist faced this as we read in Ps 142. Ps 142, I cry aloud with my voice to the Lord; I make supplication with my voice to the Lord. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, Thou didst know my path. In the way where I walk They have hidden a trap for me. Look to the right and see; For there is no one who regards me; There is no escape for me; No one cares for my soul. I cried out to Thee, O Lord; I said, "Thou art my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. "Give heed to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are too strong for me. "Bring my soul out of prison, So that I may give thanks to Thy name; The righteous will surround me, For Thou wilt deal bountifully with me." 
	Please note the reason and the course of this prayer. While the Psalmist begins with the complaint of the manner of his life on this earth, he recognizes that in thanksgiving to the Lord is release from all those woes and sorrows and regrets that so plague his mind and heart. He knows that God will deal bountifully with him as thanksgiving wells up and finds expression from within his being unto the God of his salvation. 
	We end, this morning with the following passage from Jeremiah, which brings us full circle again to our consideration of Jacob. Please turn to Jer 30:7-10. Jer 30:7-10, 'Alas! for that day is great, There is none like it; And it is the time of Jacob's distress, But he will be saved from it. 'And it shall come about on that day,' declares the Lord of hosts, 'that I will break his yoke from off their neck, and will tear off their bonds; and strangers shall no longer make them their slaves. 'But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. 'And fear not, O Jacob My servant,' declares the Lord, 'And do not be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar, And your offspring from the land of their captivity. And Jacob shall return, and shall be quiet and at ease, And no one shall make him afraid. 
	The Prophet declares the fact that we have nothing to fear in this realm. God has everything under control, no matter how it appears from our earthly vantage point. Even the very distress of Jacob was unfounded as God moved in the heart of Esau to not only accept Jacob and his family into the land again, but to greet him with love and with joy at his return. 
	As for us, we have a true and righteous King in Whom we can fully entrust ourselves and our loved ones. All fear and trembling and anguish finds its end in the love that we share in Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Redeemer. Yes, we will go through many things on this earth which are not pleasant or wanted. However, rather than destroy us, they will all serve to work God’s plan and purpose into our hearts, which is where we will continue next time, Lord willing. So be it!
	And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who didst say to me, 'Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,' I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which Thou hast shown to Thy servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. Amen.

	This morning’s benediction is Ps 66:1-4. Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; Sing the glory of His name; Make His praise glorious. Say to God, "How awesome are Thy works! Because of the greatness of Thy power Thine enemies will give feigned obedience to Thee. "All the earth will worship Thee, And will sing praises to Thee; They will sing praises to Thy name." Selah. Amen.