Good morning, dear family,
Jacob was running away from Esau. He was instructed to go to his uncle, Laban’s place by his parents. He was all alone and the journey was long. Jacob’s first encounter with God is recorded in a beautiful and meaningful dream – an encounter that changed the course of his life.
“As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway. At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!””
Genesis 28:12-16 NLT
Few pointers:
1. Revelation of God : God revealed Himself to Jacob. God introduces Himself as the God of Abraham and Isaac. This was not an ordinary dream, it was a message from God. Jacob needed to know that He was not alone in this journey. God accompanied Him. Today, though you may be feeling lonely in your journey, God assures you that He is with you.
2. Reward from God : God promised Jacob that his descendants would be numerous like the dust on the earth. God also promised divine protection upon Jacob. Though Jacob was alone and walking into an unknown territory, God promised protection and provision. Today, your situation in life may lack clarity and look challenging but God assures you His divine protection and provision in this journey.
3. Restoration from God : God also promised restoration with Jacob’s roots. Many of us are living in distant land, far from our own people. But God promises, even when you would live far away or in a spiritually dry place, God will restore you to His own people and give you the joy of being reunited with the family of God.
When you trust God and entrust your life to Him, be reminded of this that in all our situational problems, God is present. Jacob experienced the Presence of “God – The God of Israel”, whom later he called El – Elohe – Israel. What he did after this encounter is an encouraging step. He raised an Altar and worshiped God in this place and named it – Bethel. Would you worship God knowing that He is present? Let’s build our Altar and identify our “Bethel”.
“The next morning Jacob got up very early. He took the stone he had rested his head against, and he set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. He named that place Bethel (which means “house of God”), although it was previously called Luz. Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.””
Genesis 28:18-22 NLT
Amen 🙏