Returning this morning to the book of Genesis, chapter 32. We can't possibly look at all the teaching from this chapter this morning. that I read verse nine. Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which said unto me, return unto thy country and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast showed unto thy servant. For with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands. Well, our subject this morning is particularly the key elements of prevailing prayer. The end of this chapter reminds us that God, who met with Jacob as he wrestled at the brook Jabbok, had his name changed. God changed his name from Jacob to Israel. And that was because he had prevailed with God. We will not look at the wrestling of Jacob this morning, but the prayer recorded here from verse 9 surely furnishes us with the language by which Jacob prevailed with his God. And it's so instructive for us. If we are to prevail in prayer with God, then we can learn from Jacob here. But before we do that, there are some other helpful lessons I want to draw your attention to in this chapter. Now, at the beginning of the chapter, Jacob is between two very threatening situations. He has departed from Laban, who had pursued after him, and things could have turned very nasty. In fact, Laban himself, his father-in-law, says to him in verse 29, it is within my power to do you hurt. And he has a potentially dangerous encounter ahead with Esau, his offended brother. Well, the Lord is very gracious to Jacob here and such that as he Embarks upon this journey back to the land of Canaan, we read, the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them, this is verse two, he said, this is God's host. And he called the name of the place Mahanaim. And if you have a margin in your Bible, you'll see that that name means two hosts or two camps. Why did Jacob call the name Mahaniim, or two camps? Well, we'll see shortly. A.W. Pink says, how timely are God's interventions in the lives of his children. Jacob knew not what would transpire as he crossed the Brook Jabbok, as he met with Esau, but the Lord knew. And the Lord reassures him of his protection in these two verses. A token, perhaps, for his faith. He saw these angels. Some say perhaps it was similar to that glimpse that Elisha's servant was given at Dothan, when he feared this Syrian army. And when his eyes were opened, he saw that the whole valley was full of the hosts of God. Jacob is given this glimpse, a token for his faith. You need not fear. Yes, there are troubling things ahead, but the Lord will be your keeper. He has given his angels charge over thee. We're told in Hebrews chapter one and verse 14 that the angels of God are ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who are the heirs of salvation. We do not believe in guardian angels as such, that every believer, every child of God has a dedicated guardian angel. That's nowhere in scripture. But we do believe because scripture teaches that the children of God are subject to the care and protection of the angels of God in his mysterious and all-prevailing way. What comfort it ought to give us to know that even when we feel to be alone and vulnerable in this world, if we have committed ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ, then he will superintend our lives. And if needs be, though unseen to our natural eye, there are those hosts of God who will intervene to preserve us from any real harm. Well, he calls the place Mahanaim, two hosts. Some suggest that the reason was that Jacob regarded the host of angels as being before and behind him. They had his back and they would protect him from any oncoming threat. That's possible, but more likely. Jacob here views his own camp. The word means a camp. His own camp, his wives, his children, his servants, his cattle. They were a vulnerable party. They were a caravan passing through this desert land to Canaan. And yet he knew that there was another camp another host, God's host, that would be with him as he undertakes this journey. And that's true of every believer, of every church. We are, in a sense, two camps. Our own weak selves, but also the all-seeing and all-preserving hand of God and his army of angels. Mahaniun was an expression of Jacob's faith. I believe that God is with me and God will always be with us if we are walking in obedience to him. That's what Jacob was doing. He reminds the Lord in this prayer that he had been commanded by God, return unto thy country and to thy kindred. And therefore, he could enter that land with the boldness of faith, knowing God has commanded, I have obeyed, and therefore, I believe that God will be with me. Can we say that in our daily walk? Are we seeking to do the will of God? Are we seeking to be conformed in obedience to his commands, making his will our first priority, making his standards the guide for our life, seeking to keep our distance from all that is offensive to him in this world? then we can be sure that He will be with us and we need not fear any evil. In the key decisions of life, do we seek the will of God? Do we say, Lord, only allow me to go in a path that is according to Thy good and perfect will? Do we seek His choice, His will, as we choose friendships, career path, studies, or do we just say, well, I'm determined to do this without reference and without seeking a confirmation and assurance that this is the will of God for my life in witness and service of the Lord. If we are endeavoring to witness for Him, we may feel weak. We may feel that the arguments of this world and the powers of reason of those that we seek to bear testimony to the gospel to, they're so much stronger than we are, but the Lord has called us to such a work. Perhaps we feel in Sunday school work or in some other avenue of Christian service, I don't believe I can do this. But have you trusted the Lord? Is it the Lord's will in ministry, in the care of others? Do you say, I don't feel adequate? Well, look to the Lord. The Lord calls us to serve him. And if we put our hand to that work, we can be as sure as Jacob was here that he will be with us. A second lesson we see here is Jacob's humble and conciliatory message to Esau. He sends his servants ahead and he says, when you come to Esau, then speak to my Lord Esau, verse four, and say, thy servant Jacob saith thus. What is Jacob doing here? Some are critical of Jacob, they say, He did not need to humble himself in this way. He had the birthright. He was entitled to that position of lordship over his brother by birth. Why does he here refer to Esau as his lord and to himself as a servant? Well, Jacob has learned. He has the assurance of God's blessing. He knows that the birthright and the blessing belong to him, but he is willing to express humility now before Esau. And he will leave God to fulfill those great promises toward him in his own time and way. This is not a denial of his faith. This is because he now fully grasps that the blessing of God and even the chief benefits of the birthright, they are spiritual, they are eternal, they are blessings that refer to his family for centuries to come. He understands that Jeesaw is only interested in political authority and material advantage. And he's willing to cede those things to his brother. Because as we shall see in the next chapter, Jacob has an eye for something far more significant. I'm not returning, this message is saying, I'm not returning Esau to the land of Canaan to assert my rights and my claims to possession. You need not fear that I've come to conquer the land of Seir and take possession of it. In fact, he says, God has blessed me with oxen, with camels, with servants. You need not feel threatened Esau. You need not feel unsettled because the birthright was given to me, that you need to resist. And let's learn from this. We do not need to always assert our rights and interests in earthly affairs. We may feel that we have God on our side and right on our side. but we can be humble and conciliatory toward others. We can leave God, ultimately, to bring forth our righteousness as the light, our judgment as the noonday. Leave God to order these things. Rest in Him even when others seem to threaten and oppose what God has promised to us. Let's ask ourselves this question. Are we ready to act in a humble and conciliatory manner in order to win an offended person? May even be another Christian that we've offended by our behavior. Jacob had. He had been unwise. Even though he had sincere motives, he had offended Esau, and he knew it. And so he seeks here to be conciliatory. And if we know that we have offended another person, even if we have right on our side, let's learn from Jacob's example. But thirdly, we see here Esau's alarming response. The servants return, the messengers, and they inform Jacob that Esau is also coming to meet him. with 400 men with him. Was he coming in self-defense to say, whatever your aspirations, Jacob, whatever promises you may entertain as having been received from God, you needn't think you're going to bear rule over me. That's possible. It's also possible that Esau was still absolutely determined to gain his revenge upon Jacob for that act of deceit when he stole the blessing. Jacob simply didn't know, and he feared the worst. He could perhaps at this point have begun to question, is it God's will? that I return to Canaan under the nose of a threatening twin brother? Sometimes we may question God's will in our lives because we face trouble or difficulty or even threatening situations and we say, I can't be sure. I wonder if this is God's will. Well, trouble. may be sent by God to test us. Trouble, even danger, is no indication in and of itself that we are not in the will of God. Jacob had been commanded to return. He was to return despite the fear of Esau that he now felt. Well, what was Jacob's response? And there are four things about his response here we notice. Firstly, Jacob was greatly afraid, verse seven. He's still fearful. But Jacob, you've seen God's host. God has reassured you. His angels are before you and with you. Does Jacob not believe? Did he not name the place Mahanian? Yes, he did. He did believe. And yet, despite his belief in God, it's mixed with unbelief and fear. How often we are the same. We do believe God's promise. We do believe his faithfulness. We have proved in the past his care and protection. And yet we still fear. We're a mixture, aren't we? We have that new nature if we are truly the children of God, and we love the Lord, and we believe the Lord, and yet we are naturally sometimes timid, and our courage disappears, and we feel keenly the reality of earthly dangers. We'll take comfort, so did Jacob. It wasn't God-honoring in a sense, but he was realistic. Secondly, Jacob acts in prudence. In verse 13, we read that he took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau, his brother. And it was some present, wasn't it? Over 500 animals sent in droves with a message to Esau. Now some see this lavish gift as wholly unnecessary and over the top. They say, Jacob, if you trusted God's host, you wouldn't be sending any gifts ahead to show conciliation with Esau. Just trust God. But trusting God does not preclude acting in prudence. He knew that he personally had offended his brother. Ought he not to show this gesture of goodwill? But more than that, it affirmed to Esau that he was not interested in material supremacy and prosperity. He's willing to part with so much to enrich his own brother. His interests are spiritual. The blessing of God that he now cherishes is a heavenly blessing, not an earthly supremacy. And he is therefore free to reassure Esau, you need not feel that your earthly wealth and interests are in any way threatened by a returning Jacob. Thirdly, he sends this caravan of goods and ultimately his wives and his children, all that he has over the brook Jabbok. Now this brook runs from west to east and enters into the river Jordan. Jacob has approached from the north and he had to go over a ford into the land of Canaan to the south. This is an act of faith, is it not, on Jacob's part. If his fears had overcome his faith, he would not have crossed that brook. He would have said, let that brook be a barrier such that I can return out of the land of Canaan back to Haran, if needs be. But he passes over the brook. as if to say, that's where God has commanded me to go. Yes, he has fears and misgivings, but he acts in faith and obedience. That's how every believer, every true Christian must act. We may have fears for the future, but if we know God's will, then in faith, we trust ourselves to him and we go forward. leaving him to protect, to guard, to guide, to enable, and to support us with his grace. But lastly, and this is where I wanted to focus our attention this morning, he comes to the Lord in prayer. Verse nine. He didn't simply trust his own scheme. I will appease my brother. That was his intention, his hope, but above all, he commits himself to his God. There are things that we perhaps ought to do, which natural wisdom and common sense declare when we are in times of difficulty and trouble and danger. We may still act in prudence, but we do not trust ourselves. Just as Jacob didn't trust himself here in the midst of these challenging times, he commits himself above all to God in earnest prayer. Now remember, as I said at the beginning, in verse 29, we are told that Jacob, sorry, verse 28, we are told that Jacob was given a new name, Israel. a prince of God. Why? Because he had power with God and had prevailed. Jacob was a man who prevailed by wrestling prayer before the throne of grace, and all his descendants were to be called after that new name, as if to remind them, God can be prevailed upon. Though God is mighty, and Jacob would prove that, he could touch the hollow of Jacob's thigh and dislocate his hip in a moment. Yet, at the same time, he would learn that God could be prevailed upon through prayer. This is one of the first encouragements in scripture to every one of us never to give up on prayer. But let's learn the language of Jacob's prayer. And there are five key hallmarks or elements to Jacob's prayer here that I want to take you through. They are, if you like, persuasive arguments, only because the Lord allowed Jacob. to wrestle with him and to prevail upon him. But let's learn these key elements. And the first is that Jacob addressed the Lord as the God of the covenant. God of my father Abraham. God of my father Isaac, verse nine. The Lord, capital letters, Jehovah. the God who entered into covenant with Abraham and Isaac. It's to his covenant God that he comes. Now that's important for us too. We do not come to God as the God of Abraham, but we come to God as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is our covenant representative. The Scriptures teach us that a covenant was made in eternity past between God the Father and God the Son. And the interests of all the people of Christ are bound up in the Son. He is our representative. He undertook to pay the price of sin. He undertook to become a man, and in his manhood to live a life of perfect righteousness. He does that as our covenant representative and head. When we approach God, we must approach in the name of Jesus Christ. Now, sometimes, some of us, when we pray, we say, and we end our prayer, in your name. But actually that's not technically quite correct if we understand our covenant relationship with God. We come to the Father in the name of the Son. And so therefore we pray in the name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, our Lord, our mediator. That's what Jacob, in a sense, was doing here. He was using the name of Abraham because he knew Abraham was the head of that covenant that was made between him and his descendants. But we have a greater name than Abraham, the name of Jesus Christ. It's an all-prevailing name. and any sinner that would approach Almighty God and prevail upon God for forgiveness of sin and for eternal blessing and life, we come pleading the name of our covenant head, Jesus Christ. The second characteristic of this prayer is that Jacob acknowledges fully his own unworthiness. Look at verse 10. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies. Literally, I am less than the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast showed unto thy servant. Less than the least. How do we come before Almighty God in prayer? You know, this is something of the tragedy of the modern contemporary church in which we live, in our days, that there is, sadly, a lack of that sense of unworthiness, at least in the language. The appearances of supreme confidence. God is treated as a mate, as an equal. Jacob would never do that. He fell before the Lord saying, I am less than the least. Every blessing that he had received since he had left his father's house was a mercy more than he deserved. It was a mercy. When we come before the Lord, then we should count all the advantages of life and acknowledge them as mercies, not complain at what we do not have, but thank him for what we do have. We bless him for food, for clothing, for all the natural benefits. But Jacob went much more than that here. He spoke of the truth. I'm not worthy of the truth, which you have showed me, Lord. He had revealed to him all the covenant purposes of redemption. He'd had that glimpse of the ladder that reached to heaven, understanding that God would make a way whereby he could enter into the very favor of God. He says, I'm not worthy of that truth. But there's something more here that's not so obvious. When he says, I am not worthy of all the truth which thou hast showed unto thy servant, the sense, so the commentators tell us, is that it was the truth that had been acted out already in Jacob's life. the truth of the promises. God had promised, I will be with you, I will bless you, I will multiply you, I will increase you. And Jacob could say, God has been as good as his word of truth. And now he comes before the Lord and says, all that truth that has been shown and proved in my life, I'm not worthy of the least of it. That's how we must approach the Lord. Has he made known the gospel? To you and me? Has he revealed the secrets of his saving love and grace? We come before him and say, I'm not worthy, Lord, of that faith that you've given to me, of that light and understanding that I've been blessed with. Thirdly, we see here that Jacob owns God's past goodness at the end of verse 10. With my staff I passed over this Jordan. I came with a stick, empty-handed as it were, apart from that, and now I am become two bands, a multitude of wives and sons and daughters and cattle. God had blessed him richly. When we come before the Lord, then we must come with thanksgiving. The Lord, the Apostle says, with thanksgiving, make your requests known unto the Lord. How thankful are we in prayer? Do we praise him for his mercy, for his truth and grace? Do we thank him for all the benefits of life, for health, for provisions, for comforts, for so much? And we must acknowledge all that catalog of favor that the Lord has blessed us with. Fourthly, he pleads both the commandment and the promises of God. Verse nine, he says, Lord, thou hast said, return unto thy country. And then in verse 11, sorry, verse 12, he says, and thou hast said, I will surely do thee good. Pleading the promises of God is an integral part of prevailing prayer. God cannot deny himself. He cannot deny his own word. Do you fear, as a lost sinner, to plead with God for salvation? Then plead his command. Lord, thou hast said, that I must repent and believe, and that is what I desire to do. Help me to repent. Help me to believe. Lord, thou hast said that sinners may come, and I come as a sinner. We plead the command of the gospel and the promises of the gospel. They're there. And then we may say, I'm troubled by my sin, Lord. But the Lord has exhorted us all, mortify sin. Put it out of your life. We may plead his command and his promise. Lord, I want to make a stand for the truth. I want to resist Satan's temptations. We have so much of the Word of God on our side. We may plead it. That's what Jacob, by example, does here. I embark upon a life of service and obedience at thy command, Lord. Then grant that help and that grace and that protection. But lastly, Let's come to one final motive that Jacob has here in this prayer, and that is that he shows that his desire above all else was for the glory of God. Look at verse 11. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau. Why? I fear him, lest he will come and smite me and the mother with the children. Now, when we first look at this, it appears to be only a motivation of self-preservation. I don't want to die, Lord. I don't want my children to die. But why does Jacob pray for this? Above all else, it's because these children are covenant children. One of these children, it would be Judah, was in the godly line. Jacob knows that God has promised that the Redeemer will come through his descendants. What will become of those saving interests that Jacob and his family have if Esau destroys the line? He fears him above all because of that. And he desires the honor and glory and furtherance of God's purposes. And therefore he says, Lord, protect me in this hour. Protect these children, because Lord, they are bound up in the promise, just as Isaac. was so precious to Abraham because he was the one in whom the seed should be called. Jacob knows it's in these children that the seed, the godly seed, the line of Messiah was to be preserved. What is our motive in prayer? Why do we seek the furtherance of the gospel? Why do we want to see souls saved in our churches? Why do we pray for our children? Is it purely through natural love to them? We may be motivated by that, but brothers and sisters, we should have a higher motive. And that motive must be that we desire the honor and glory of God through their life and the strengthening of the cause of Christ and his kingdom by their testimony. If that is our desire, then our prayers will prevail. If it is just self-interest and self-gratification, my children are following my doctrines and my views, then why should the Lord bless? He may, but we may have higher and much stronger prevailing motives, and that is the glory and the honor of Jesus Christ. or may the Lord bless these things to us each. Let's close our worship with hymn.