“In that desolate moment . . . God will meet you. You will sense and see him as never before. Do not begrudge the barren stretches, for in the barrenness we encounter God. We find the presence of God. Jacob did. And no one was more surprised than he.”- Max Lucado
“[Jacob] took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.”- Genesis 28:11 (NKJV)
In Chapter 3 (“Ladders from Heaven”) of God Never Gives Up on You, Max Lucado notes that in the first two days of his flight from Esau, Jacob traveled forty-eight miles from Beersheba to Bethel. Furthermore, Jacob hiked through a land scorched and strewn with rocks. Bleak like a wasteland.
Therefore, Pastor Lucado describes Jacob as the Bronze Age version of the prodigal son. Except Jacob showed no initiative to come to his senses – no remorse. Hence, Max points out, Jacob’s lack of repentance makes the next scene one of the greatest stories of grace in the Bible.
In Jacob’s dream, angels ascend and descend on a ziggurat stairway. Above all, Max states that the Hebrew wording of Jacob’s response implies raised arms and open mouth. A direct translation of Genesis 28:16 reads: “There, a ladder! Oh, angels! And look, the Lord himself!”
Most significantly, when Jacob woke up he realized he wasn’t alone. Even though he felt alone, assumed he was alone, and appeared to be alone. However, Jacob found himself surrounded by angels. And, Pastor Lucado stresses, angels surround us as well. In fact, the author underscores, angels are as numerous as stars in the night sky. We can’t possibly count them.
In conclusion, Max summarizes:
“Jacob was . . . given heaven’s comfort. The message of the vision couldn’t be clearer: when we are at our lowest, God is watching over us from the highest. Between us stretches a conduit of grace upon which messengers carry out his will.”
Today’s question: When do you begrudge the barren stretches? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “A Niagara of unexpected kindness”