Jacob was running away!- from his near and dear; everything that was familiar; from the security of his home…running away from facing the wrath of his brother, Esau whom he had wronged.  Heading for the land of his mother’s relatives, he had a long distance to cover, in those times by foot and so it must have looked to him- a stepping into the unknown! As he pitched camp for the night- in the stillness of night as he lay resting his head on a cold stone probably feeling the regret of all his past actions, Jacob must have felt all alone, lost and definitely needed a word of reassurance. GOD had a plan for Jacob the runaway and He speaks to him in a dream.

 

• God’s Reassurance (Gen 28:13-15)

  In a nutshell, God told Jacob: “I will be with you!”  “I will bless you!” “I will accomplish my plan for you!” Jacob would have had a sense of loss and lostness and had a reassuring word from His Creator who knew the end from the beginning. Job 23:10 says, “But He knows the way that I take…” Our life is an open book before our God who knows everything about us and assures us from time to time that our lives are in His hands even when we go through desperate situations.

  Jacob did go through tough years and faced consequences of his foolish actions yet God used all those years to mould him and make him a better person before he returned. Our God is a God of second chances!
  
   

• Jacob’s Response (Gen 28:16-22)
  
Jacob would have been startled when he woke up from the dream! His first response: “Surely the LORD is in this place…” He named the place “Bethel”- the house of God. He set up the stone he had pillowed his head on as a memorial and poured oil on it and gave himself in worship. Here makes a vow to the Lord to follow Him and give a tenth of all that the Lord would give him. Years later when he returns we see him coming to Bethel and make an altar to the LORD and offer his worship along with his people (Genesis 35:7).


  Here is the lesson for us- like Jacob and many others in the Bible, God is interested in us in spite of all our “imperfections!” When He knit each of us closely in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13)- He had His grand master plan! Yet if we do not yield to the Potter’s hands with willingness, the beautiful vessel He intended of your life and mine, will turn hard. He is a God who is willing to give us a second chance— to lay down our rebellion and our rejection of Him so that He can make us anew! If we like Jacob who recognized God and responded to Him would consent to let Him have His way in us, we just need to watch how He will unfold His plan in each of our lives. We become vessels of His mercy and grace!



 

And as our act of worship as written in Romans 12:1[GNT] : “So then, my friends, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.”



 

May we find fulfilment in offering up our lives to the One who gave us life and intended us to purposefully live it pleasing to Him!

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Think on:

“Faithful is He who calls you, and

He also will bring it to pass.”

- 1 Thessalonians 5:24