He is Near

Read Genesis 28:10–15

Reflection

Jacob’s dream starts like many of our imaginations about where God is and how we could possibly get to Him. We imagine that He is high up in the sky, in a Universe beyond us, unable to be reached without some way of getting there – a ladder, some stairs or, maybe, even a tower built tall enough. This is how many people view God, if they have any belief in Him. They see Him as distant and unable to be communicated with. Surely, if God was real, we could see Him, touch Him, find Him somewhere.

We have the benefit of knowing that God did exactly this, through His Son, Jesus. He made Himself real, relational, and able to be known. We can see a glimpse of this in God making Himself known in Jacob’s dream. God appears to Jacob and speaks directly to him. He makes Himself known and shares His Heart and Promises with Jacob.

You might wonder how a deceiver like Jacob can find himself in such good standing with God. There is much to the story we don’t know about Jacob and the journey of his heart, but what is plain to see is that God’s Promises for us are much less about how good we are and much more about how Good He is.

Hold onto the Promise in this verse that God is with you and will never leave you. He is much closer to you than you might believe.

Consider and Pray

Do you feel near to God or distant from Him at this moment? Pray that He will open your eyes to see that there is no distance between you and Him. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8, ESV).