today's meditation (Gn.28:10-22) Trusting God Leads to Worship

(Dear Lord Jesus, help me focus on Your word and gain understanding...)

(Genesis 28:10-22)  Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. 12 He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. 14 Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth 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 promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 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.”

18 So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel; however, previously the name of the city had been Luz. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, 21 and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the Lord will be my God. 22 This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Jacob had put special importance on a specific location because of his dream (where God passed along to him the Abrahamic covenant of land, seed, and blessings, including the prophecy of Jesus' coming)... But God is everywhere... people just don't usually notice.  And when we do notice, it is an awesome "place" to be!  When we accept Jesus into our hearts - we are then in the presence of God forever.

We should want to keep our spiritual eyes and ears open to Him all of the time, and revel in His awesomeness!  Out of salvation should come heart-felt worship, which includes a desire to meet together with others and praise God, and tithe.  Yes!  Is God more important than our money, energy and time?  He should be!

Now, Jacob also made a classic human-type move - and remember, Jacob liked to finagle deals - so Jacob told God that IF He did such and such for him, THEN he would... But God had already promised to do all of those things for him!!!  It was as good as done!!!  Jacob should have started worshiping God right there and then.  

So many people can only see God or trust God on their own terms.  They have a difficult time realizing that God is bigger than us, better than us, smarter than us...  Besides being everywhere all of the time, God is all-knowing and all-powerful - and faithful, just and truth.  The more we worship God and get to know Him, the more we will trust God, and desire to worship Him...