The Stuff of Dreams

16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

This story begins with Jacob settling down for the night. After dozing off, he experiences an amazing dreams. A dream like we want to remember forever. You know what that is like. You dream a supernatural power takes over your limbs and you are a superhero. Or maybe you have been living a nightmare existence with bill collectors hounding you, and the Prize Patrol knocks on your door and presents you with $1000 a week for life. 

Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

In Jacob's dream, God promised him everything he might want; those things of importance to the culture of that day - numerous descendants, and land for them to inhabit. Jacob was thrilled upon waking and wanted to do something for God.

Dreams are a mystery to us. Most of us have them, some of us never remember them, but just as often they are impactful in one way or another. Very often our dreams reflect something that is happening in our day to day lives. They can be scary, fanciful, and even other-worldly. But some time they are merely a reflection of the day we just had. 

Like Jacob, we will awaken. Maybe, like Jacob, we will feel a strong sense of God and His presence with us as we slept; watching over us and loving us into tomorrow.

Genesis 28:10-22 

Third Time is a Charm

This is the third time in a year that I have written on this section of Scripture.  I went back to look at the other two and see how differently I wrote on the same words.  But, we know that God's Word is living and active and depending on our life in the moment, words will grab us differently.  The same Words will touch and/or convict us in new ways each time we read them.

It was November 18, 2013--only 4 weeks ago, when I last wrote on Genesis 28.  Probably it was the last time you read them to.  Do you know what was going on in your life those few short weeks ago?  Do you hear God speaking to you differently today than four weeks ago?  I believe I can say yes to this question.

When I read my journal entry for November 18 I see that it was Monday and I was asking God, "What lies ahead of me this week. How do I prepare to face it?" I also wrote that I can only be an effective ambassador if I surround myself with Your (God's) arms.  Well, that is all still true.

But now, only 4 weeks later, I am more certain than ever that God is in my corner. I believe that God only wants the best for me and I am not worried about how to face tomorrow. I can draw upon His faithfulness over the years, even when I didn't believe as strongly as I do now I draw comfort from the fact, God's faithfulness to me isn't measured by my trust in Him.

So, let’s go back to the Scripture selection for today.  What is new, what Word do I define differently, which phase speaks to my heart that is one month older and wiser?  I have to admit it is the last line, the final words in verse twenty-two which reflect the difference in my heart.  Genesis 28:22b (NIV) "...and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth." Tithing is very hard right now, and I have been tempted to hold back -but I have been convicted to trust and obey. 

My husband and I believed in the practice of tithing, but recently when reflecting on giving I was reminded of the phase, 'give til it hurts.'  It never used to hurt; now it does.  Perhaps I won't have these particular words listed for me to write about again for a while.  Perhaps I get it now, finally.  Do you?  Has God spoken to you in a new way this time?  I would love to hear from you.

 Genesis 28:10-22

No coat-tail riding

Genesis 28:10-12 (NIV)  Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran.  When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.  

Can you imagine using a stone or a rock for a pillow?  I have this thing about pillows; it has to be very flat and extremely soft - doesn't sound like any rock I have held.  And why a rock or stone?  Is there significance? It seems this was a common practice and points to the nature of the stony terrain.

Genesis 28:20-22 (NIV)  Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear  so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God  and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth." 

The commentary I use has the word 'since' in place of 'if' which gives this a more faithful tone. You will note the stone has a special role, as it will be used to commemorate all that God is doing and has done in this place. Jacob's faith is solidifying, as he is recognizing God's faithfulness and provision and memorializing all that God had done.

Just as Jacob had to establish his own personal relationship with God and couldn't simply be grandfathered in to Heaven (Abraham was his grandfather) so do we.  Just because our parents or grandparents had a strong and active faith doesn't provide salvation for us. It is not enough to hear wonderful stories about Christians in our family.  We need to become part of the story.

Genesis 28:10-22

Genesis 28:10-22 -- Jacob's Dream

God appears or speaks to many of the key figures in scripture and He does this in any number of ways.  Sometimes He sends angels, sometimes He uses dreams or even donkeys; but always He is getting a message delivered to His people.  Moses he met face-to-face on a mountain.  The Israelites, His chosen people, he met in the desert as a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. 

God will use a number of vehicles to get our attention, to touch our hearts and our spirits. We might call it a twinge of conscience when we are compelled to act in a certain way.  Other times we could use the word fate when referring to things that fall into place in a miraculous manner.  Often we struggle for just the right word to describe how God communicates with us; mainly because our unbelieving friends might think us weird or worse yet, our fellow Christians might view us as touched in the head.

Genesis 28:15 (MSG)
(The LORD said) “Yes. I'll stay with you, I'll protect you wherever you go, and I'll bring you back to this very ground. I'll stick with you until I've done everything I promised you."

If you have spent any amount of time in prayer over an important issue in your life, you know that God speaks and he does it in creative and resourceful ways.  A Scripture passage might just jump off the page – appearing to be highlighted in the brightest yellow.  A good friend might approach you and quote a scripture passage that just this morning appeared during your quiet time.

Jacob had a dream and God made him some promises in this dream.  When Jacob awoke in the morning he knew God had spoken.  His life was forever changed.  Christmas morning is just around the corner, a morning when we acknowledge the fulfillment of more dreams and promises of God.  God spoke to the world that glorious day.  I pray you got the message.

Read Genesis 28:10-22 here

Listen to Genesis 28:10-22 here