Today’s Reading: Genesis 28, 35:1-15, Hosea 12:3-6
I AM YOUR GOD AND I AM WITH YOU!
Genesis 28 tells of an encounter that Jacob had with God — a turning point in his life when God let him know that He was not only the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac, He was ALSO the God of Jacob. How wonderful it must have felt for Jacob in that moment when He heard God’s promise:
“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. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth!…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.” – Genesis 28:13b-15
Jacob set up a pillar, poured oil on it and named it Bethel, making a vow to God just as God had made a vow to Him.
IF YOU ARE WITH ME, THEN I AM WITH YOU!
“If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.” – Genesis 28:20b-22
That day Jacob began a covenant relationship with God. He responded to God’s promise and committed to being present in the relationship. Just as God was reaching out to Him, Jacob was seeking after God. But life gets busy and offers so many distractions.
The next twenty plus years had good times and bad. Jacob now had two wives, two concubines, eleven sons and one daughter. He had acquired much wealth but his household had also acquired pagan idols. Jacob had to seek peace among his wives, peace with his uncle and peace with his brother, Esau. To make things worse, his daughter was raped and his sons responded in vengeance. Life was difficult but God was present.
God called out to Jacob and Jacob RETURNED to Bethel, recognizing that God had faithfully kept His covenant but that Jacob was in need of RENEWING the promise He had made to God. The influence of the world around him had made an impact on Jacob and his family and he needed to once again cleanse himself, returning to the place where God had revealed himself to Jacob. And the God of Jacob’s past faithfully appeared to him again and blessed him, showing Jacob that God was not only the God of yesterday, but the God of today and the God of tomorrow.
Perhaps God is calling us back to the place where we entered into a covenant relationship with Him. This world we live in and the stress of life have had an impact on us and we need to RENEW our promise. Let’s declare that the God of our yesterday is still who we desire to be the Lord of our today and the Keeper of our tomorrows. God is faithful and still desires to produce fruit through our lives.
I AM YOUR GOD AND I AM WITH YOU!
IF YOU ARE WITH ME, THEN I AM WITH YOU!
Lord, I choose to renew our covenant and desire to keep it fresh and growing stronger each day. I promise to look to you as the God of my past, make you the Lord of my day and trust you to be the Keeper of my tomorrow. Thank you for making your presence known to me this morning. If you are with me, then I am with you. I love you and choose to act out of that love today, depending on you to provide and protect. Amen.