Psalm 103:20 “Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word”.

Genesis 28

Angels are God’s messengers sent out to carry out His work.  There are many such instances in the Holy Bible. One such instance is the account of Jacob’s ladder to heaven.   Jacob saw in his dream the angels of God ascending and descending on an unusual stairway (Genesis 28:12). This stairway was not seen with the naked eye.  It was the divine ladder that connected earth and heaven which allowed the messengers of God to act instantly on His Word.  In Genesis 28 as we enter into the dream with Jacob we hear El Shaddai (God Almighty) above the divine ladder speaking the future of Jacob into being.  A future covered by His hand of protection and provision. God revealed Himself as Almighty to let Jacob know that He was Almighty in all circumstances.  God gave Jacob such a clear picture of his future in the dream that Jacob awoke from a state of mindless running and drifting to one that had a conscious purpose behind it in which one-tenth of his possessions would belong to God.  

God showing up when Jacob least expected it reveals to us that God is in constant dialogue and contact with our world.  He is always intervening in our situations.   He never sleeps or slumbers (Psalm 121:4) and so nothing in our lives misses God’s attention.

Sometimes in the midst of our trouble and pain God sends His messengers as a precursor to Himself, to let us know that He has not forgotten us. He has a clear hand in determining our future with his provision and protection covering us through all the changing scenes of life.

This image of the God’s stairway filled with heavenly beings must have encouraged Jacob in his over 14 years of hard field labour working with his uncle. And this was enough to keep him until Laban’s attitude changed negatively.  Then Jacobs gets another dream, calls his wives, testifies of God’s goodness and indicates that the angel of God representing God gave him marching orders ‘Now leave this place at once and go back…’  

Some of us today will get dreams, some will hear the still small voice, some will get visitations, some will wrestle ’til morning and myriad of other ways BUT at the right time God intervenes into each of our lives and tells us to leave certain places behind and go back to the old landmark where we first met with Him.  So let us obey the voice of the Lord and face our fears: our Labans, Esaus, God himself. For God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7) and we have the mind of Christ (1Corinthians 2:16).

PRAYER

God of my ancestors and Jacob, I am fearful and inattentive to the things concerning you.  Help me to in tune to your interventions. Forgive me where I have failed you.  I want to hear you and see your hand whether by your messengers or ace to face. In the Name that is above all names: Jesus Christ. Amen.