Wrestling With God II

Preached October 18, 2026 - Morning Sermon (Audio Only)
Text: Genesis 32:9-32
Heritage Baptist Church

Listen below or at SermonAudio.

Sermon Description

Jacob begins his prayer by appealing to the covenant-keeping God of Abraham and Isaac, grounding his plea in who God is rather than in his own faithfulness or works.

He claims the specific promises God had spoken-that he would return and that God would deal well with him-showing that true faith hangs on the Word even while fear remains.

In humility he confesses that he is not worthy of the least of God's mercies, acknowledging that every blessing flows from grace alone and cannot be earned by hard labor or strategy.

Fear and faith can coexist; Jacob honestly admits his dread of Esau and asks for deliverance, for prayer is the appointed means by which we cast our anxieties upon the Lord.

After the amen, Jacob continues with human plans still driven more by lingering fear than by settled trust, reminding us that lasting peace requires ongoing dependence on God's promises beyond the moment of prayer.

Scripture

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

Reflection Questions

1. How does Jacob's prayer begin with who God is rather than with his own works?
2. What does it mean that true faith can hang on God's Word even while fear remains?
3. Why is it important that Jacob confesses he is not worthy of the least of God's mercies?
4. What does the passage teach about the difference between praying and then continuing to plan out of lingering fear?

Adapted from the sermon preached October 18, 2026 by Pastor Mike Stewart.

For further reading: Genesis 32:1-32; Hosea 12:3-4; Joshua 24:2-4; 2 Chronicles 20:1-30; Philippians 4:6-9

Mike Stewart, Pastor | Heritage Baptist Church

Mike was born and raised in central Mississippi. After graduating from Mississippi State in 1986, God changed his course of direction with a deep conviction of sin and desire to follow Christ. He then met his wife, Peggy, while attending church in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1998, he was ordained to the ministry in Bel Air, Maryland, and ultimately moved to Huntsville, Alabama, to begin his first pastorate. In 2005, Heritage was formed and called him to be her founding pastor.