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Genesis 33:4

⁴But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.

There are a number of extremely dramatic moments in the Bible. This is certainly one of them. During the past twenty years Jacob lived in fear of Esau's death threat. Esau had grown and prospered and put behind him his anger over Jacob's conniving. Jacob expected a sword in Esau's hand, but instead received a warm hug. Theirs was an historic sibling rivalry, but time and their individual successes had healed the wounds.

Certainly, God had answered Jacob's prayer for safety even before Jacob prayed. The dread and fear through all those years was for naught. Jacob should have trusted the LORD and His promises from the very beginning. After all, he had the birthright, the blessing, and most of all, the word of the LORD spoken to him at Bethel.

Most of us will face, or have already, something similar. Whether it is sibling rivalry, or rivalry in the office or the neighborhood, we will find that personal conflict is inevitable. Whether it is no fault of our own, or partially reaping what we have sown, if we cast our care on the LORD, obey His Word (as Jacob did in obeying God's command to return to his land), and trust in the promises of God found in His Word, we will find that the LORD will help us face our fears and find that they are not all that we thought them to be. Many times we will find they are nothing at all. There is great peace to be found in trusting the LORD and His Word. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Consider: Most of our fears are completely unnecessary. Even when we do face difficulty, if we will trust the LORD, He will use it for our good. Why live with worry when we can live in confident and peaceful trust in the LORD?