“Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob.” (Ps 146:5)

Many times God self references as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the patriarchs of the faith. And often in the scriptures, when people describe the God they serve this is the title they use. But there are many times when God is known simply as the God of Jacob. I particularly like this shortcut to connection with God.

Why? Because Jacob was a screw up, sure he became the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, but even that accomplishment was more by God’s gracious redemption than Jacob’s faithful obedience. The God of Jacob is my God, the God whose help I need because more often than not, I’ve screwed something up and made a hot mess of things.

Like Jacob I find myself in situations where I need divine intervention. Maybe the situation is the result of my own willful actions, or maybe I allow myself to be talked into something because I’m too insecure to say no, or there are those moments when I am the victim of someone’s else’s screw up. Whatever the source of the trouble, I need God’s help. I need the God of Jacob.

During this series, we’ll look at Jacob and the situations in which he found himself, the ones he orchestrated or was coerced into; and then we’ll consider how God helped him in these very real, very relatable circumstances and/or relationships.

Let’s begin at the beginning.

Who is Jacob’s God?

The God of the ones who need help being born (Genesis 25:26).

In the womb, Jacob grabbed his brother’s heel and was pulled into life. He arrived on the coattails of his bigger, stronger sibling.

Jacob’s God is the one who comes to help you when you don’t have the power to engage in life; when you feel you don’t exist or wish you didn’t. This is the God of the depressed; the one who feels defeated before she even begins; the one who fears that he will not be valued unless he is connected to one with more power or influence or charisma.

While in college I applied for a job to be a youth ministries intern at my church. Of all the job interviews I’ve had over the course of my life this is the one interview where I remember the question I was asked and my exact response. I almost cringe at the memory.

“What are your career ambitions? What do you hope to do with your life upon your graduation from college?”

“I want to be a Pastor’s wife.”

Step inside my 20 year old brain and understand why I answered in such a manner.

I knew I had the gift and the ability to open the scriptures in ways that were insightful; my studies made the Bible accessible and applicable to life. But I didn’t believe I had the right to offer these insights to others nor the ability to communicate them effectively. I believed I needed a husband to whom I could feed my ideas and then he could use his power to preach them. I felt I had to be the woman behind the man, the one who he depended upon for inspiration. I had no right to exist as a voice for God.

This wasn’t necessarily about male/female roles, it was more about my sense of self. I remember doing what I could to escape being noticed, while at the same time longing to be seen. Developmentally, I was a toddler, fearfully peeking out from behind my parent’s back, wanting to engage with the world, but without the strength and skills to pull it off.

I needed the God of Jacob.

Jacob’s God is the midwife that catches you as you are birthed, who says, “You do exist, you may need help to emerge but help is available. Be not ashamed that you are weak in body or character. Jacob’s God hasn’t forgotten you. Jacob’s God will nurse you and tenderly strengthen you for the life prepared for you.”

God provided me with “bigger, stronger siblings” to pull me into the life he had planned for me; friends who called out the truth in me, a husband who cheered my voice, a pastor who believed in me and let me practice my gifts.

Call on Jacob’s God, let this holy brother and mother be your power and nurture. You have been born, your life is intended, cling to the God who makes a way for your life to emerge.

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Some of what’s coming up in future posts: I know you’ll relate to some of these topics.

The God of the one who isn’t preferred in life by his Father or significant authority.

The God of the one who has taken advantage of others to benefit herself.