Sooner or later, you will come into a situation where someone will treat you unfairly and attempt to make your life miserable. No matter how hard they try, though, no one will be able to remove God’s blessing from your life.

GOD MAINTAINS CONTROL OF YOUR BLESSING

Others are not in control of your life. God is! And, he brings his plans to prosper you to fruition.

Jacob loved Laban’s youngest daughter, Rachel. He agreed to serve Laban for seven years to earn her hand in marriage. Skilled in the art of deception, Laban put his eldest daughter, Leah, with Jacob on their wedding night instead and then required Jacob to work another seven years to take his beloved Rachel as his wife.

After Joseph was born to Rachel, Jacob asked Laban to send him away with his wives and children so he could return to his own country. Laban agreed that God had blessed him through Jacob’s work and told him to name his wages. Jacob asked to pass through all Laban’s flock, remove all the speckled and spotted sheep, every black lamb and the speckled goats for his wages. That very day, Laban removed all the sheep and goats that were spotted or speckled and every dark-colored lamb, and he placed them in the care of his sons. Jacob kept only the flock consisting of white sheep and (according to Jewish writers) those who were old, barren and infirm so that he would acquire no profit from them.

All looked lost for Jacob, but God was at work behind the scenes.

GOD USES OTHERS TO PROVE HIS SOVEREIGNTY

Even under these unfavorable conditions, Jacob devised a way to provide himself with a flock. From the shepherds of Canaan and his own experience, he learned that the color of the objects contemplated by the dams at mating season influenced them, through the impression made upon their imagination, to bring forth like color in their offspring. So Jacob peeled the bark off fresh shoots of poplar, almond and plane trees to make white streaks in them. When the stronger of the flocks were breeding, he placed the peeled branches in front of them. They produced young that were streaked, speckled and spotted. Jacob faced these flocks toward Laban’s colored and completely black rams. In the end, the more feeble white flocks were Laban’s and the more robust dark and colored flocks belonged to Jacob.

Laban never expected Jacob’s flocks to produce so many young in different colors from their own, but with all Laban did in an attempt to steal Jacob’s abundance and to make his life miserable, he could not remove God’s favor from him. If God had not been on Jacob’s side, surely Laban would have sent him away empty handed. But God saw his affliction and the labor of his hands (Gen 31:42).

INJUSTICE BRINGS OPPORTUNITY FOR BLESSING

Regardless of how you feel when you suffer injustice, try to remain peaceful. Know that God is working for you behind the scenes to bring you to a greater level of abundance than you currently know. Don’t lose sight of your future blessing. Many strange and wonderful things can occur by the strength of imagination. Continue to meditate upon the sovereignty of God’s providence. When God guides you to use devices and/or to follow courses, attend to them. God pleads the case of the oppressed and he can use his divine power to drive the success of your efforts.

Thus the man grew exceedingly rich, and had large flocks, and male and female slaves, and camels and donkeys. Genesis 30:43