You Are Not Alone

Genesis 32:1-2 “And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.”

Have you ever found out that you were not alone when you thought you were? A couple of times recently, I thought I was alone, but quickly found out that I was not! One morning, I was walking down to the new front entrance here on the Ranch. I was gathering my thoughts and asking the Lord’s help for the day, when suddenly, I turned around and met my wife face-to-face!

Last March, I flew home to Murfreesboro for a few days, and I was actually taking a walk this time as well. I was walking up the road on one side of Scales Mountain, and when I started down the other side, I heard a strange noise-a kind of huffing and whistling of air. I was thinking I had spooked a deer, when suddenly I noticed a Ranch staff member running up the other side!

In Genesis 32:1, Jacob thought he was alone because he always had been. The name “Jacob” means supplanter or trickster, so even the things God had promised to him-like the birthright-Jacob was used to scheming and conniving to get. The truth is that God is able to do even more than we can do by scheming and conniving. But now, Jacob is between a rock and a hard place. He could not scheme and had to be honest enough to realize that he was not alone. He meets God’s messengers-a host of angels-and calls the name of that place Mahanaim.

Names are important. Often people give me a hard time about my kids’ names. My two boys, Wilson and Weston, both have names that are different than their proper names. Wilson is actually William Rice V; Weston is actually Johnathan Wessington Rice, but we call him John Weston or Weston for short. The name of the place in Genesis 32:2 means “double camp.” That is interesting because Jacob was camped there, terrified of his impending meeting with his brother, Esau. Jacob no doubt had become a man of fervent prayer. But Jacob was not alone; God had a camp there. He knew he was in trouble and God had sent help precisely because he realized his need.

We can give people a hard time by saying, “The only time you ask God for help is when you are in trouble.” The truth is, we are always in trouble! Sometimes we are just smart enough to realize it and ask God for His help. God helps people like that-people who are in trouble and who realize they are not alone.

Your “camp” is not the only camp today. God’s hosts are around, too. If we knew or could see them, we would be encouraged. Although you might not see them like Jacob did, you can rest assured that you are not alone. There is a “double camp”-you and the hosts of God. And that is exactly what you and I need every day.