[Discoveries] 03-18-08 Connected to heaven -- Genesis 28:12-13a

[Inspiration in Your Inbox]

/*[Jacob] had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, 
with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending 
and descending on it. There above it stood the LORD ... -- Genesis 
28:12-13a*/

Jacob's deception was beginning to backfire. He had won his father's 
blessing but lost his father. In place of blessing, he was a fugitive, 
running for his life. Yes, he had a cover story -- he was looking for a 
wife. But the real motivation for the trip was to escape Esau's revenge. 
And while Jacob did gain a wife, he seems to have lost his mother; she 
is never mentioned again.

The road ahead for Jacob would not be easy. He would learn what it was 
like to be on the business end of a scam. He would spend years working 
to build up his household only to see his family and wealth almost taken 
away first by Laban, then by Esau. His dear Rachel would die in 
childbirth. Dinah would be raped. Bilhah would be defiled by Reuben. 
Simeon and Levi would nearly get them all killed. Judah's sons would 
die. Joseph would disappear. Simeon would be taken prisoner. Benjamin 
would almost become a slave while famine gnawed away at their wealth and 
threatened their very lives.

But central to Jacob's life is not deception, nor is it tragedy and 
loss. Central to Jacob's life is his connection with heaven. All his 
troubles would have no meaning apart from his connection to the One who 
stands above the stairway.

And what are all these angels doing -- ministering to those who will 
inherit salvation? The God who seems so remote and far away in our times 
of trouble is near, and busy with His angels keeping us connected to 
heaven, giving all our troubles a depth of meaning they would otherwise 
never have.

Be encouraged!
Dwight

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