Dreams and Visions

“Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran.  So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set.  And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.  Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the Angels of God were ascending and descending on it .  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.”  Genesis 28:10-13 (NASB)

Dreams are a part of every person’s life.  Some we remember; some we forget; some we wish we could forget.

Dreaming helps us organize the files from our daily activities.  Sometimes we dream because of too much pizza the night before.  I believe at times God still works in our dreams to help us navigate where he wants us to go.  

Now before you decide to turn off your computer, let me explain.  First of all, Hebrews 1:1 tells us that, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions, and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son.”

Above and beyond all things, God speaks to us through His Son, who is “The Word.” But there are times when we awaken with a sense that God is leading us in a certain direction.   But most of the time, we do not get “angels ascending and descending from the gate of heaven.”

In Genesis 28,  we find that Jacob is on the run.  His brother has threatened to kill him when their father dies.  He leaves with nothing more than the shirt on his back.  The sun begins to set and Jacob is exhausted and fearful.  He finds a rock to place under his head and he falls asleep.   God send a dream to assure him that he will never leave him and that he will continue the covenant that he gave his grandfather Abraham and his father Issac.  In the dream, a ladder sets on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and angels of God were ascending and descending on it.  

God has a plan for Jacob.  Esau’s threats will not change the plans of God for Jacob.  God uses situations to bring us to a place where we can hear his voice.  For Jacob it was Bethel, the House of God.  Beth(House) El (God.  When we find ourselves in difficult situations, we can know that there is a ladder of God that reaches the house of God.  The passage tells us that the LORD is at the top  of the ladder.  

If we use scripture to interpret scripture, we find that Jesus tells his disciples, and particularly Nathanael in John 1:49-51 that he (Nathanael) will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.

Jesus is our ladder to heaven!! He is “the way, the truth and the life no one comes to the Father except by Him.”  Jacob’s dream is a picture of our connection to heaven and the throne room of heaven.   God’s Son came down to us to be a sacrifice that would redeem mankind from the fallen state.  Jesus is the way we are blessed with every spiritual blessing.  Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Jacob’s encounter at Bethel was the first of his encounters with God.  He was just beginning to understand a little of the God of His Father.  He makes a vow, “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, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the LORD will be my God, and this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house; and all that Thou dost give me I will surely give a tenth to thee.” Genesis 28: 20-22

Sound familiar?  If you will do this for me, then you can be my God! (emphasis mine)

In our early walk with the LORD, we seldom understand that bargaining gets us nowhere but God is patient and puts up with us through our ignorance.  So thankful that He kept on loving me even when I acted so childishly.  

Jacob continues on his journey and has more dreams in the next 20 years and in the end he starts back home and he has another visitation from God.  Only this time, he wrestles with God to know Him in a deeper way.  He would not let go of the angel of the LORD until he blesses him.  He now has been touched physically and spiritually by God.  His name is changed to Israel. He no longer walks the same way.  God touch his thigh and he walked away with a limb.   Jacob reconciles with Esau.  Jacob settles in Shechem and Esau goes by to Mt. Seir.  

God desires to take us deeper in our walk with him.  He will lead and guide us through all the trials of our life.  There is so much of Jacob is all of us.  We try to get our way and then ask God to bless it.  

What lessons are there for us?

1. God has a plan and that plan cannot be thwarted.  
2. God reveals himself to us in His Son.  
3. God watches over us even when we make wrong turns in life.

Father, thank you that you watch over us to grow us up.  Forgive us when we act foolishly and go our own way.  Thank you that Jesus has provide us access to heaven and life eternal with you.  Thank you that you reveal yourself to me everyday in so many ways.  Reveal yourself to those who might be seeking you today.

In Jesus name,

For all the treaders’ who love the Gaither’s Homecoming.  Here is an oldie but a goodie.

We are climbing Jacob’s ladder.

Every wrung goes higher, higher

Looking back only brings regret.  

 

We are moving forward with our walk with Jesus.

Love you all.

Freda