Today I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “Jacob Overcoming Suffering.” When Jacob went to Egypt to meet Joseph, Jacob answered Pharaoh’s question of how old he is. He said, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.” Just like what Jacob said, he faced numerous sufferings in life. A weary life away from home! Jacob had to leave home to escape from his older brother who was angry after he had his birthright blessing taken away. Jacob who was on his way to his uncle’s house fell asleep on the street. God appeared in his dream and gave him a promise that He will always be with him until he comes back. Genesis 28:15 says, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Jacob suffered so much while living away from home for 20 years. He had to work for 14 years without any wages to earn his beloved woman as wife. And he worked hard for 20 years but had no any possession. While Jacob worked in his uncle’s house, he never received any wages. His uncle cheated him by changing his wages ten times. Even though Jacob took much trouble by the sweat on the brow for twenty years, he still had nothing on his own. However, Jacob used the law of looking and earned many speckled and spotted sheep and livestock. Actually his wisdom came from God through his dream. Genesis 31:10-12 says, “"In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I answered, 'Here I am.' And he said, 'Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.” God saw all that Laban had been doing to Jacob and helped him to earn many flocks and livestock. While living in this world, we may be cheated by others or sometimes unfair thing can happen to us. However, God fully knows it. Job 11:11 says, “Surely he recognizes deceitful men; and when he sees evil, does he not take note?” Therefore, don’t be discouraged but rely on God; He will help you through it. One day God told Jacob to go back to his hometown. Genesis 31:3 says, “Then the LORD said to Jacob, ‘Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.’" Nevertheless, his way home was not smooth. The greatest obstacle in his way home was his older brother Esau. In the morning he sent people for reconciliation, but Esau was coming to meet Jacob with four hundred men. When Jacob heard that his older brother was coming to meet him with four hundred people, his hearts was filled with fear. His way home could end up with death. His whole possessions and his beloved family members that he had worked hard for twenty years could be lost in a moment. He met the most serious crisis in life at that time. However, Jacob did not run away, but suddenly a man wrestled with him til the daybreak. This man was the angel of God and He put pressure on Jacob through the night and touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched! He was limping because of his hip. Next day, as Jacob himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. Esau saw Jacob limping and took a pity on him and comforted him rather than avenged on him. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” If we pray when we face crisis of life, God will provide a way out for us. Then Jacob first gave thanks to God before he prayed to God to save him from the hand of his brother Esau. Genesis 32:10 says, “I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups.” When Jacob looked back on his last twenty years, he realized that everything was God’s grace. When he left for his uncle’s home, he crossed the Jordan with only his staff, but on his way home after twenty years, he understood that God had given him so many family members and possessions and gave thanks to Him. Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” God Himself built Jacob’s household and protected it. Jacob overcame sufferings. Even though he had to face so many hardships throughout his life, as he overcame them well, he achieved changes and growth God was pleased with. Psalm 119:71 says, “Do good to your servant, and I will live; I will obey your word.” In his old age, Jacob went down to Egypt. When the time drew near for him to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “Please bury me where my fathers are buried.” Genesis 47:31 says, “and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.” This scene is recorded in Hebrews 11:21 as follows, “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.” In his deathbed, Jacob worshiped the Lord as he barely leaned on the top of his staff. This is quite different from the past Jacob who cheated his father to get the birthright. He did many mistakes and suffered the consequences of them. Through sufferings he learned obedience and prayer and changed into a person who God wanted to see. Furthermore, Jacob gave thanks to God who had poured out His grace on him throughout his life at his deathbed. Genesis 48:15 says, “Then he blessed Joseph and said, "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day.” He confessed that God had raised him since his birth until his deathbed, As a shepherd, Jacob knew well how shepherds would care for their sheep. Then he said that God had taken care of him as his Shepherd. Psalm 100:3 says, “Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” No matter how hard and tough situation we may be in, we must not forget that God cares for us and keeps us safe. When we endure suffering with faith, we will receive many benefits. Lamentations 3:33 says, “For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.” Deuteronomy 8:14-16 says, “then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you.” There are always uphill and downhill in our path of life. When we go down the road, your blood sugar will be dropping while your blood fats will decrease when you go upward. Both uphill and downhill help your health. Anyway we must accept those uphill and downhill in our lives. When we go uphill, it will be painful and hard, but we shouldn’t give up. Through faith and prayer we must overcome and then there will be many benefits for us. Psalm 31:19 says, “How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.” God has stored up goodness for those who take refuge in Him. Therefore, when we come before Him with prayer, He will pour out His stored grace on us abundantly. On the contrary, if we are discouraged and frustrated without praying in hardships, sufferings can’t become any benefit. James 5:13 says, “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” We must move forward with prayer even in trouble so sufferings can become a precious opportunity to experience God’s power. When we face environmental extreme, we do not surrender to it but overcome it. If climate is too cold, we invent heating system; if climate is too hot, we produce air conditioning to survive. In the desert, we drink underground water and change sea water into fresh water to drink. We do not yield to environmental extreme, but rather overcome it and develop human civilization instead. When we overcome sufferings and move forward, we can grow and improve furthermore. Recently thirteen Thai youth soccer players were trapped in a flooded cave due to a sudden storm and rescued after 17 days. British divers discovered them 10 days after they had been lost. There was only one boy who could speak English among 13 boys. He is Adul Sam-on and explained the health states of these boys and what they needed to rescue team so calmly that it was much helpful for rescue mission. Later, they found that this boy came from Myanmar’s self-governing Wa region. The boy’s parents lived around the border area and dropped him off at a Thai Baptist church, asking that the pastor and his wife care for him and taught him English. Then while living away from his parents, he had to endure a sudden ordeal being trapped in a flooded and dark cave more than 10 days. How dreadful it was! The whole world was watching eagerly for the process of Thai cave rescue. Fortunately all of 13 boys were rescued safely that brought huge joy to all the people. If they had failed to come back, how many people would have hurt. We should not be discouraged or in despair in trouble. No matter how hard and painful our hardship may be, we must overcome it with faith to enjoy great joy in the end. God was with Jacob all the time even in trouble and hardships. He Himself protected him and took care of him. Nowadays even if there are many hardships and sufferings in our lives, God is always with us and takes good care of us and keeps us. Therefore, no matter what hardship we may be in, we must not be discouraged but overcome it with faith!