When You Look, What Do You See?

Then he placed these peeled branches in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, for that was where they mated. And when they mated in front of the white-streaked branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted. Genesis 30:38-39 (NLT)

I want to talk about a story that will forever change the way you look at problems.

Genesis 30:30-43 tells the story of how God helped Jacob overcome a significant problem in his life: his devious father-in-law, Laban. Jacob had fulfilled his obligations toLaban. But now Jacob wanted the freedom to return to his homeland with his wives and children. So, he presented a plan that had Laban reimburse his wage sin livestock. Laban would retain any solid-coloured animals, and Jacob would keep any that were spotted, speckled or striped.

A belief in those days was that peeled sticks influenced future herds. So Jacob pushed peeled sticks into the mud by the animals’ watering holes. Watching the flocks through these sticks, Jacob began to visualize his herd growing. He started to believe the dreams God showed him. (See Genesis31:6-13.) Over time, his mottle-coated flocks substantially outgrew Laban’s solid-coated ones, and Jacob regained his freedom.

To me, the sticks in the mud represent God’s Word. If we are in the middle of hardships or don’t know how to handle an issue, we need to look through God’s Word to see His promises in the same way that Jacob did.

Our problems don’t have the final say.Read God’s Word, and begin to see yourself breaking through barriers, living free and succeeding. Meditate on God’s plans for you, and discover the power of envisioning His promises coming to life in yours.