And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:12.
Threatened with death by the wrath of Esau, Jacob went out from his father’s home a fugitive; but he carried with him the father’s blessing; Isaac had renewed to him the covenant promise, and had bidden him, as its inheritor, to seek a wife of his mother’s family in Mesopotamia. Yet it was with a deeply troubled heart that Jacob set out on his lonely journey. With only his staff in his hand he must travel hundreds of miles through a country inhabited by wild, roving tribes. In his remorse and timidity he sought to avoid men, lest he should be traced by his angry brother. He feared that he had lost forever the blessing that God had purposed to give him; and Satan was at hand to press temptations upon him….
The darkness of despair pressed upon his soul, and he hardly dared to pray. But he was so utterly lonely that he felt the need of protection from God as he had never felt it before. With weeping and deep humiliation he confessed his sin, and entreated for some evidence that he was not utterly forsaken…. God did not forsake Jacob. His mercy was still extended to His erring, distrustful servant. The Lord compassionately revealed just what Jacob needed—a Saviour….
Wearied with his journey, the wanderer lay down upon the ground, with a stone for his pillow. As he slept he beheld a ladder, bright and shining, whose base rested upon the earth, while the top reached to heaven. Upon this ladder angels were ascending and descending; above it was the Lord of glory….
Jacob awoke from his sleep in the deep stillness of night. The shining forms of his vision had disappeared. Only the dim outline of the lonely hills, and above them the heavens bright with stars, now met his gaze. But he had a solemn sense that God was with him. An unseen presence filled the solitude. “Surely the Lord is in this place,” he said, “and I knew it not…. This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
Conflict and Courage p. 64
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Prayer Requests
—– pray for Joann she fell and cracked a rib and in a lot of pain plus she has an abscessed tooth. M
—– UPDATE#2: Well, they are releasing Robbie again. Almost did yesterday. In fact, I drove down yesterday to get him but there was an issue that needed to be tended to before he could go. So I had to drive back home without him. . . . I had to get back because my mom had a procedure this morning. She is fine but it took 2 hours and wasn’t sure what the outcome would be. Robbie will have a nurse administer an intravenous medicine daily. He still seemed a bit off to me when I saw him but considerably better than when I found him. I’m a bit nervous about him coming home. This is very emotionally trying on not just me but our entire family. I’m beginning to really have a hard time dealing with this. Karen
—–I will finally be having shoulder surgery at 1:30 today. Please pray that all will go well and that I will heal quickly. Sue
—–Please pray for traveling mercies for Danniella and her children as they travel the twelve hours home. Rose
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Dear Friends,
Some years ago, we had a pair of finches. We put a nesting box in their cage and the female finch laid one egg. Every day Ronnie Jay would go near the cage and talk to that little bird egg. We laughed at him for it, but he didn’t care. He had seen a nature film that said that showed how the baby bird and its parents talk to each other while the baby is still in the egg. After Silver hatched, he responded only to Ronnie Jay’s voice. When Ronnie Jay called, he would call back. He would not do that for any of the rest of us no matter how hard we tried. Throughout the years, whenever Ronnie Jay would be gone on a trip; Silver would look very dejected and be unresponsive. As soon as Ronnie Jay returned, Silver was a happy, singing bird once again.
Just as Silver was totally focused on Ronnie Jay, so our focus should be on our Loving Saviour. He is our Creator, our Redeemer, our Helper, our Strength, our constant Companion. Our dearest thoughts should be of Him. Our conversation should be about His blessings. Our actions should reflect Him. Others should be able to tell that we belong to Christ, just as others “took knowledge of them (Peter and John), that they had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13
He was near to us as we were being formed in the womb. Indeed, He is the one Who formed us. “Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself. Isa 44:24 As He said to Jeremiah, so He says to us, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee.” Jer 1:5 “There is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” Isa 45:21.22
Our response to our Dear Creator should be as was the Psalmist’s, “Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God.” Ps 123:1,2 “Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.” Micah 7:7
Paul states, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
…so stand fast in the Lord. Phil 3:20-4:1 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Heb 13:5,6
May we ever look to our Dear Saviour. May we ever stay close to Him. May He be first and last and always in our lives is my prayer.
Rose