Daily Devotional | The Best of Plans

Has your life ever taken an unexpec- ted turn? Have you ever made plans only to have them dramatically rearranged? When Jacob fled from his childhood home to Laban’s to escape Esau’s anger, he was only planning to be gone for “a few days” (Gen. 27:44 NASB). Those “few” days had turned into 20 years!

Genesis 31 tells how and why Jacob finally left to return home. The members of Jacob’s extended family did not trust each other. Laban’s sons accused Jacob of stealing from their father (v. 1). Laban cheated Jacob by changing his wages (v. 7). Jacob deceived Laban by not telling him he was running away (v. 20). And Rachel stole the household gods from her father (vv. 19, 32). She clearly did not fully understand what it meant to worship the Lord alone. It would be hard to miss the ineffectiveness of these so-called gods. They are only saved by Rachel hiding them under her saddle, thus rendering them unclean (vv. 34–35).

Meanwhile, Jacob was growing in his reliance upon the Lord. He gave God credit for his increased wealth (vv. 5, 9). He obeyed God’s command to return to his homeland (v. 13). More importantly, God was faithful to Jacob. God did not allow Laban’s attempt to cheat him succeed (vv. 5, 42). When Laban chased after Jacob to catch him, God warned him not to harm Jacob (v. 24). Finally, He allowed Laban and Jacob to come to terms with one another. All along, Laban had been treating Jacob as a slave. We end with Laban making a covenant with Jacob as an equal (vv. 44–54).

Go Deeper

We can rely on the truth that God is with us, and that no matter how life changes our plans, God will be faithful to His promises. How have you seen God at work in your life? How has He helped you grow in your faith through different trials?

Pray with Us: Father, You know the futility of our human plans. I choose to trust Your promises for my life. I open my clenched fists to surrender my plans to You. “The LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge” (Ps. 94:22).

BY Ryan Cook

Dr. Ryan Cook has taught at Moody Bible Institute since 2012. He earned his bachelor of arts in Bible and Theology from Moody and his master of arts in Old Testament from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. He has worked in Christian education and served as a pastor in Michigan for seven years. During his time as a professor at Moody, he earned his doctorate from Asbury Theological Seminary. He now lives with his wife, Ashley, and their three children in the Chicagoland area.