Very often it seems that our biggest calamities in life are actually the ones that never arrive.
This is a great place to recall the words of William Cowper’s classic hymn, “God Moves in a Mysterious Way.” Its third stanza reads, “Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds you so much dread Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head.” Oh, how Jacob had feared this showdown with Esau! How he had prayed for help. How he trembled when he heard his big brother had decided to bring 400 fellows along for assistance! How he had schemed and planned, subdividing his household to limit what he thought were inevitable damages. How he advanced a massive gift to ameliorate his brother’s anger, a menagerie larger than most zoos! How he humbled himself, calling Esau “my lord” and himself “your servant” (Gen 32:4), bowing to the ground seven times as the brother who had vowed to kill him advanced. And in the end? Listen! “But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept” (33:4). And then what? Esau “lifted his eyes and saw the women and children, and said, ‘Who are these with you?’” (v 5). He wanted to meet the family! Friends, life is too short to let family squabbles, hurt feelings, imagined unfairness, or old hurts rob you of your family. Don’t you choke back a sob when you read this? Way to go, Esau! God loves happily-ever-after stories, too. And when Esau sees the so-called “gift”? He says, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself” (v 9). I keep liking this Esau fellow better all the time! At some point, everybody has to decide whether they want the money or the relatives. Please don’t choose the money. If you do the right thing, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this” (2 Chron 25:9).