By Mike Caton

Genesis 49:18, “I look for your deliverance, LORD.”

In the midst of blessing his sons and giving them a glimpse of what the future holds, Jacob has a sudden outburst. These words are not just about his sons, not just about their descendants. These are worlds that come from Jacob’s heart and ought to come from the heart of every believer as well. Maybe these words, though personal, are mean to be applied to each of his children, maybe this is a prayer, a request for each of them.

The word deliverance can also be translated as deeds of deliverance, help, or prosperity. But it is most often translated as salvation, and that is the ultimate deliverance. In this life, that is what we should hope for, the deliverance or salvation of our God. This can refer not just to the ultimate help of eternal life, but also the relief that God can give us every day, as we face and overcome the various problems of life. Jacob is calling out for a life that God blesses, not just in eternity, but every day. The fact that he looks for it, other translations say wait but it can also be translated long for, hopefully wait, or eagerly await. And there are things we must do as we are waiting and looking for these blessings.

We need to live our life in such a way that it shows where our hope is and who our hope is in. There are many who go through life showing their only hope is in themselves; what they can do, what they can accomplish, how big, strong, smart, and so forth they are. But life is not about you. It is about our commitment to the Lord. Certainly there are things God expects us to take care of ourselves, but we need to remember and acknowledge, that ultimately, we are dependent on God and we need to commit ourselves to him. Our deliverance does not come from ourselves, it does not come from any government or politician, it is not secured by a certain amount of money in the bank, our deliverance is not about any outward circumstance. Our deliverance comes from God and we need to live our lives aware and showing that fact.

Father, help me long for your deliverance. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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