阅读经文 

相比其他的事情，雅各总想要靠着自己来掌控生活。在大部分的成年生活中，他寻找机会来操控事情，达到自己的目的。但现在，他的世界失控了。他以为约瑟死了，如今他的儿子西缅又被囚禁在埃及；而由于某些原因他们用于籴粮的银子又都回到每个人的袋子里。此刻雅各所能想到的就是，他很有可能也会失去他的儿子便雅悯。

因此，雅各做了我们许多人都会做的事：面对越来越多的威胁，他努力地抓住他所拥有的。但神有办法挑战我们的极限，让我们放手。我们无法透过掌控我们的环境来获得快乐和平安，而惟有透过放手和信靠交托神来获得。

雅各认为每件事都是针对他，但神，就是赐下祂的独生子使罪人归向祂的那位，应许说，祂会“把万物和祂白白地赐给我们”。（参罗 8:32）神剥夺了我们所紧紧抓住的一切东西，好让我们学习在恩典中领受祝福，而不是靠着自己抓住它们。

当你无法抓紧你所拥有的，记得神的应许正紧紧地抓住你。（参约 10:28-30）

More than anything else, Jacob wanted to hang on to his ability to control life. He spent much of his adult life seeking to manipulate things and get his way. But here, his world was spinning out of control. He thought Joseph was dead. And now his son Simeon was held captive in Egypt. And for some reason all the silver used to pay for the grain was back in everyone's sack! All that Jacob could think about now was that he might also lose his son Benjamin.

So Jacob does what many of us would do: in the face of increasing threats, he tries to hold on tighter to what he has. But God has a way of confronting us with the limits of our abilities. We do not find happiness and peace by being in control of our circumstances; we find these blessings by letting go and entrusting ourselves to God.

Jacob thought that everything was against him. But God, who gave his own Son to restore lost sinners to himself, promises that he will "also, along with [Jesus], graciously give us all things" .(Romans 8:32) God strips us of the things we often hold so tightly so that we may learn to receive his blessings by grace rather than trying to grasp them for ourselves.

When you can't hold on tight enough to what you have, remember God's promise to hang on to you. (John 10:28-30)