Timing

Sunday was our fourth Sunday in the series of messages, "We Are Family." The message had a simple title, "God Heals Family Pain." We looked at the experience of Jacob returning to his brother Esau. We often forget that the reason that Jacob left home was to escape from his brother who was thinking of killing him. That estrangement from his family brought about the travels which give us so many rich stories from the life of Jacob found in the book of Genesis.

Jacob wanted the promises of God for his life. God preferred Jacob to Esau because of Jacob's willingness to struggle for God's blessings. Esau on the other hand treated the blessings and promises of God very casually. Though Jacob's means were not perfect, his passion for God's blessing made him the heir of God's blessings.

To gain those blessings he had to face the family pain he had run away from for so long. Some of the pain was put upon him by external forces. From an early age he was labeled by his parents as trouble (his name means supplanter). He was also the victim of an emotionally divided home, his father favored Esau and his mother favored him. However, some of his pain was his own fault. He had lied to his father to get the blessing intended for Esau. He was a victim in some ways, but he was also the cause of some of his own pain. Regardless of the source, he had to face his past to get the blessings promised to him in the future. He had to return home.

Here are the steps to healing from Jacob's story in Genesis 32.
#1 The first step toward hope and healing in family pain is to face the truth.
Stop sweeping your past under the rug. If it is ruling your decisions and your chance for optimism and faith then you must face your past pain.
#2 The second step toward hope and healing in family pain is to get alone with God.
When you are alone with God you can be transparent with God, and there will be no distraction from others.
#3 The third step toward hope and healing in family pain is to wrestle with God in prayer.
How do I wrestle in prayer? Be honest with God. Let God be honest with you. Meditate or consider God's vantage point on your situation. Go so far as to consider God's love for your enemies.
#4 The fourth step toward hope and healing in family pain is to take God’s new identity for you.
When you wrestle with God think about the tags that marked your life (alcoholic, abused, victim, trouble maker, slow, second best, or any other painful tag you carry). Then, when you have accepted Christ and his forgiveness ask God what his new name is for you. You will face family pain with a new confidence when you have your new tag from God.

What made Sunday great was that there were several people who needed that message that day. I always want messages to be timeless, full of truth that is good for anyone, anywhere. But, the real trick to Spirit anointed preaching is that messages are timely, the right truth at just the right time. I thank God for helping our church to be both.