Oh to have a dream like this! This is one of my favorite passages in the old Testament. One can only imagine the fear and perhaps even guilt that Jacob must have felt after his deceit in Genesis 27. I think it is safe to assume that not only is Jacob running from Esau under fear of death, but there is most likely an element of running from God. And then, here in the middle of nowhere, God shows up in a powerful way and speaks to Jacob. Reassures him, regardless of what or how it went down, the plan I laid out with Abraham, it is still going to happen, through you!
Jacob’s statement after waking up is very telling: “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was unaware”. (sound familiar Peru Team 2010??) This assumes that Jacob was pretty confident that he could run and hide from God. Had he not heard that Adam and Eve tried this, rather unsuccessfully in the past?
And then there is us. How often do we think we can run from God, escape his presence, when we have done wrong? If that is you, the gig is up! (See also Psalm 139:7-9)
And for me, the main take away from Jacob’s statement is this: how often am I completely oblivious to God’s amazing and powerful presence in any given situation? How often am I completely distracted so I miss it, miss his hand in it all. Unfortunately, more than I’d like. What about you?
Mathew McCabe
Mathew McCabe
I try to remind myself when things seem really bad, that they could always be far worse.
ReplyDeleteSo many times in my recent life, I have thought there was no way I will get over/out of, a certian situation. I try to fix it myself and depend on my knowledge and skills, ultimately, to hit a dead end. Then when I turn to God and show patience and faith; in time, things always appear to work out fine.
This chapter is a great example of Gods awesome power and presence in our lives, a story that we can still live by today.
How awesome and amazing that God continues to bless us even in our sin. Just as with Jacob,we are so undeserving but God continues to pour out his grace and mercy upon us. I was also moved by the power of the dream that Jacob had as it reminds me of a powerful dream that I had not too many months ago in which Jesus presented himself to me (and gave me a hug...REALLY!) and as a result has renewed my passion for Christ.
ReplyDelete"God is in this place and I didn't know it." A life-changing perspective.
ReplyDeletea while ago Daddy (Paul) preached a sermon on this passage while Josh and I were visiting up in MD. It truly impacted us. We were in the middle of so many family situations it felt like we were barely keeping our heads above water. "God was here and I almost missed it." Has become one of our life sayings. We know have a plaque on our Ebeneezer wall that says "God Was Here" such a powerful reminder.
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