Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” Genesis 28:10-17 New King James Version
Lord God,
An encounter with You. Many of us we can relate an encounter or experience that led us to know You. For some it may have been in Sunday School, with a friend, at a Christian rally, alone in our bedroom! He knows what we need. For Jacob, He needed to see that the God of his Father was not a tame God who blessed and comforted and provided but a mighty God of creation and His future. And he saw and was afraid.
Not a bad place to start – in awesome fear. We are told fear is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One, understanding.(Proverbs 9:10). Not only did he discover he was not the centre of the universe, able to rely on himself, but he had a God to worship and had a purpose and a future.
Thank you that our life is not dependant on us. We too have You with us whatever season of life we are in. We have a purpose and a future. Help us look for those encounter moments when reading Your Word, in dreams or through something that happens in the day. And see that even a schemer, is loved by You and needs to hear the gospel.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Sunday 11th January 2025
Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
Whose trust, ever child-like, no cares can destroy,
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
Your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.
Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
Whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
Be there at our labours, and give us, we pray,
Your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.
Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
Your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
Your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.
Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
Whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
Your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.
Lyrics: Jan Struther
Pray for your family, friends, neighbours, church family to have rich encounters with God throughout the day.
Pray for Putin’s heart to be changed.
Pray for a blessed encounter today.