READ: Genesis 30:25-43
“And Laban said, Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.” – Genesis 30:34
This famous story shows Jacob subjecting himself to God’s ability to prosper him. He did not ask Laban for five hundred or six hundred sheep as his reward. He subjected himself to the uncontrollable factors of reproduction. He said, “Just give me any spotted and speckled sheep and goats that are born.” What a gamble! If the sheep that were to be born were not spotted and speckled, Jacob would have nothing. Indeed, a much safer contract would have been to ask Laban for five or ten percent of the flock.
Laban, of course, was happy to have such a contract. He had no idea that God would make the spotted and speckled sheep multiply until most of the flocks were spotted and speckled. In subjecting himself to these uncontrollable factors of destiny, Jacob subjected himself to God’s providing hand. Most of us are not trusting enough to allow God to take control and prosper us the way He wants to. We have to make a move! We have to intervene! We have to interfere with nature! We have to speed things up!
But Jacob trusted the Lord for everything. He knew that God would provide for him. To successfully follow Jacob, you will have to trust that God will provide for you. When people get into difficulty, they claim God did not help them. When their marriages run into difficulty, they say they missed the will of God. It is important to get to the place where you accept the good, the bad and the ugly as God’s provision for your life.