Jacob’s Model Prayer
Genesis 32:9-12
After 20-years, Jacob was heading home to the land God promised his grandfather Abraham. Jacob was obeying God’s command to return home, so he was in the will of God. But he was scared, so he prayed. This post examines Jacob’s prayer, and explains how it makes an excellent model prayer.
Jacob had just been confronted by his father-in-law Laban and the men with him. God had intervened by instructing Laban in a dream to not say anything good or evil to Jacob. So, they made a covenant not to harm each other and Laban kissed his family good-bye.
Now Jacob was headed back home, back where his brother Esau lived, back to Esau who said he would kill him for stealing his blessing (Genesis 27:41-42). And now Esau was approaching with 400 men. Jacob was afraid Esau would attack him and kill his family, so Jacob prayed.
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Jacob Prayed for Deliverance
And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst 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 shewed unto Thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.
Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.
And Thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
Genesis 32:9-12
Pray When Afraid
Jacob did the right thing. When we are afraid, we need to trust in God. When we are afraid, we need to confess our fear to our Heavenly Father who loves us. When we are afraid, we need to ask the Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, for mercy and protection.
God answered Jacob’s prayer – Genesis 33
When Jacob and his brother met,
“Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept” (Genesis 33:4).
So in answer to Jacob’s prayer, instead of being attacked by Esau as he feared, Jacob’s brother warmly welcomed him home in peace.
There is much to learn from Jacob’s prayer. In fact, it can serve as a model prayer. Let us examine it more closely.
Jacob’s Model Prayer (Gen. 32:9-12)
Jacob Praised God by declaring His attributes (Who He Is)
In Genesis 32:9, Jacob identified Who he was praying to:
- The God of his fathers, Abraham and Isaac
- The God who told him to return home
Jacob Reminded God of His Promises and His Word
In Genesis 32:9b, Jacob reminded God:
- Of His Command (Jacob reminded God that He told him to return (and that he was obeying His command)
- Of His Promises (Jacob reminded God that He had promised He would deal kindly with him)
Jacob Confessed
In Genesis 32:10, Jacob acknowledged the blessings that God had bestowed upon him, and confessed that He was NOT worthy of the mercies and truth God had shown him.
Then Jacob made his request to God
In Genesis 32:11, Jacob made his request, but only after praising, reminding, and confessing. Jacob asked for safety. He prayed specifically for deliverance from his brother Esau, who had said he would kill him and was now coming with 400 men.
Jacob Explained Why
In Genesis 32:12, Jacob gave God the reasons for his request and why God should answer his prayer:
- Because he (Jacob) was afraid – “FOR I FEAR him, lest . . .” (the human reason)
- Because God promised to do him good (the divine reason)
How we should pray following Jacob’s model prayer:
1. Praise God by declaring His attributes
Acknowledge Who He Is (e.g: The Creator of heaven and earth, your Savior; the infinite, all powerful, all knowing, God, etc.; whatever fits the context of your prayer the best)
2. Remind God of His Promises in His Word the Bible
3. Confess and Acknowledge your Sin
Confess any sin in your life (1 John 1:9) and acknowledge that you are not worthy of His mercy, love, and grace.
4. Then make your specific requests known unto God (Philippians 4:6)
5. Give God Reasons why He should answer your prayer
Jacob’s prayer worked for him and can serve as a model prayer for us. It should work for you too, as long as you pray in faith.
Give it a try!
Why “Jacob’s Last Prayer”?
Since Esau did not kill Jacob, you might ask why this is called, “Jacob’s Last Prayer.” The reason is because the next day, before Jacob met his brother Esau, God renamed him “Israel” (God prevails). So this was Jacob’s last prayer as Jacob. From then on, he prayed as “Israel.”
If you are interested in learning more about God renaming Jacob, you can read about it in Genesis 32:24-30. But elaborating on that story will have to wait for another post.
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