Trans-generational Vision

"This is the history of Jacob: Joseph,” - Gen. 37:2a

"This is the history of Jacob, Joseph…” the story begins in Genesis 37. Though Jacob was memorialized, his historical destiny only began to manifest as he transcended generations and served a vision much larger than his own.
Jacob's impact would ultimately reverberate vicariously through the life of his son. This is a key to making history--you must begin with a vision that is bigger than you, larger and longer than your lifetime, more than you could possibly accomplish, and outside the realm of your own personal charisma and charm. God sponsors such visions that could only come from Him.

The story of Joseph is not only for young men who have visions, but as Joel said, old men who have dreams. The standard American self-help book has limited success to the span of one lifetime and thus failed to inspire men beyond their own generation. According to Genesis 37:1, the true history and greatness of Jacob did not occur during his own watch, but in the generation that sprang from his loins. Children are part of the multigenerational blessing that God wants to give His people, but few modern Americans can picture their influence across the lives they leave behind.

Jacob was the father of twelve sons of Israel who would carry the mantle of Jehovah's providential purposes into every nation on the face of the earth. "In you,” God said to Abraham, "all the families of the earth will be blessed." (Genesis 12:3). God thinks trans-generationally. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, so for anyone to fully leverage their potential destiny and impact, they must begin to expand their vision to their children's children.

Such thinking will revolutionize a young man's decisions. When entering marriage, there will be a deep desire to build a godly foundation that will support the fathering of Godly seed. "God makes them one spirit because He seeks Godly offspring." (Mal. 2:15) Financial decisions and ministry commitments will be better evaluated across the generations. Men who think three generations deep will not rush to obtain success or fame in ministry. They will not be driven by our society's constant need for results but will realize the process of building may take tens or even hundreds of years if it is to maintain.

The history of Jacob only begins in his lifetime. His greatest contribution to the survival of his people comes through the providential life of his son Joseph. As fathers and young men, we should carefully cradle the purposes of God in their infancy. We should never despise or neglect the smallest baby or task that God has given us, knowing that though our beginning may be insignificant, our latter end will be great.

Let me see the generations to come
And leave a blessing for my children’s children.

Wrestling for a Blessing

"Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger." - Gen. 37:1

God's dream since creation is for a people He could plant in a better land. Joseph's story actually begins where another great figure’s ends. Joseph is the eleventh son of Israel, the father of the Jewish nation. Israel's story is recorded in the Chapters 27-37 of Genesis, a tale fraught with deception, dysfunction, depravity, and desperation. But through all his failings, Jacob wrestles his way into the heart of God and history, and ends up fathering the twelve tribes of the Hebrew nation who inherit the Promised Land.
Jacob's defining moment is an all-night wrestling match with God Most High. Left alone before facing the brother from whom he has stolen everything, Jacob encounters a pre-incarnate Christ who "wrestles with him to the breaking of day." (Gen. 32:25) The result of this wrestling is a face to face encounter with the living God who redefines Jacob’s life forever. As the angelic figure says, "Let me go!" Jacob retorts, "I will not let you go until you bless me," and it is with that tenacity that a trickster becomes transformed into a Prince with God—Israel who will father the Jewish lineage and nation.
Perhaps you have had such an encounter with God. Probably most people who read this book will have already had some salvation experience in which they gave their lives to the Lord and received, in essence, a new name and a new calling to obey God. Wrestling with God is a prerequisite to working under his blessing. Something in us must be touched as Jacob's hip was, and our walk will be forever changed. This defining moment for many is salvation. For others the touch comes at a vital period of transition in their lives. On the edge of a blessing and the verge of entering the promise, God has for you an encounter with an angel of the Lord. For many, this encounter is anything but friendly and fun.
You are being tossed out of your normal career or life into a new and Promised Land. You are wrestling with angels in the dark. Your muscles are tired, your grip is loosening, but something deep inside is welling up and saying, "I will not let you go until you bless me."
Congratulations. You are on your way to a destiny. You have decided the ordinary American dream of 1.8 kids and a picket fence will not satisfy your soul, so you have thrown your lot in with Jesus, like the early disciples, "forsaken all to follow him." You need a new name. This period of your life is a defining chapter, and the name God chooses for you from these wrestlings is a legacy that will endure forever. But you must realize that history and destiny is much larger than yourself. It goes beyond Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and touches all future generations.

Let me not let you free
until you bless me.