The trouble with Jacob and Esau began before they were born. The Bible says that these twins were fighting in the womb (Gen. 25:22) and that Jacob was born grasping the heel of Esau (Gen. 25:26), who was born first. The fact that Isaac and Rebekah chose favorites didn’t help. Isaac clearly preferred the outdoorsman and hunter Esau, while Rebekah loved her more intellectual son, Jacob (Gen. 25:28).

Esau didn’t care for spiritual things, including his birthright. As first born he was entitled to this traditional Hebrew blessing that included a double portion of the inheritance and becoming head of the household. But Jacob coveted it and devised a plot for taking it. When Esau came in famished from hunting, Jacob withheld the lentil stew he was cooking until Esau agreed to give Jacob his birthright. Esau cared more about his stomach than his birthright, so he promised it to Jacob.

In spite of this, Isaac still planned on giving Esau his blessing. Jacob and Rebekah devised a plot to trick Isaac into blessing Jacob instead of Esau. When Esau found out about it he was mad at Jacob—mad enough to kill him.

At this point you may be wondering, “How is this an example of faith? It looks more like a soap opera.” If we look back up to today’s verse, we see that Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. Isaac had his own promise from God that he would be a father to God’s people. So in faith that God would keep His promise, Isaac’s offered blessings for his son’s prosperity. Later, God changed Jacob’s name to Israel and his twelve sons became the twelve tribes of Israel. Esau’s request for a blessing was answered by Isaac’s prediction that Esau’s descendants would struggle with Jacob’s and occupy a less fertile land.

Even when Isaac blessed the “wrong” son, God used the deceit and hatred to work out to His purposes. Isaac never saw these promises fulfilled in his lifetime, yet he spoke them as if they had already come to pass. In fact, after the blessing, Jacob ran in fear of Esau’s and Isaac never saw Jacob again. Even though he could not see how it could possibly work out, Isaac trusted in God’s plan.

Finally, Isaac also spoke these blessings against his natural feelings for his sons. In spite of Jacob’s deceit, Isaac stood by his blessing and trusted the will of God more than his own feelings of affection.

How often do we try to limit God to our point of view? How often do we consider something impossible because we cannot see how it could work out? Why do we put our own feelings above what God wants us to do? The essence of faith is believing in what we can’t see. What area in your life seems impossible to you? Ask God to show you how to walk by faith, not by sight, and then watch Him work.