Alright Jake, Here’s the Plan, Let’s Do This!
12 As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.; 13 At the top of the stairway stood the lord, and he said, “I am the lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. 14 Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. 15 What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” 17 But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!” Genesis 28:12–17 NLT
Jacob has just set out on a long journey that will cover hundreds of miles over 14 years. He has no reassurance or promise of what he is in for, except for the history of God in his family as told by his parents and grandparents. He didn’t leave on the best terms, either, having just earned the murderous hatred of his brother and expecting his dad to die at any moment.
He lies down to sleep for the night and there has a dream. There are 3 main things God declares in that dream.
Who God is.
What God is going to do with Jacob.
How Jacob is going to get there.
First, God identifies Himself and defines His authority. “Remember the stories your Dad told you? That was me. Those were good, but now I’m dealing with you.” Then God tells Jacob about the land on which he slept. “I’m going go give this land to you. Remember the promise I made to your grandpa about descendants, you are part of that.”
And finally, “You are going to go on and live life and do the things you are supposed to, and I’ll be with you the whole time. Now isn’t the time to do it all, but I’ll be with you until the time comes.”
How much is this just like Jesus’ call to all of us in Matthew 28?
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18–20 NLT
Think on that today.Who God is. What He wants to do with you. How He is going to get you there.