Laban made things so difficult that Jacob finally decided to take his wives and flee. Better, he reasoned, to risk the wrath of Esau than to suffer at the hands of Laban. “Then the Lord said to Jacob, ‘Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives and I will be with you’” (Genesis 31:3). Little did Jacob realize that the Lord was setting him up, not to destroy him, but to transform him. Sometimes the Lord has to put us between a rock and a hard place to break our stubborn will. I call this a “severe mercy” and that’s where Jacob found himself.
“God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness…”
— Hebrews 12:10-11 (NIV 1984)
Lord, I wouldn’t trade anything for the holy work your “severe mercy” has accomplished in me. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.