Jacob's Ladder
by Pastor C. Barnett

The story of Jacob's ladder is a powerful lesson in faith and perseverance. It is found in the book of Genesis, chapter 28. The story begins with Jacob leaving his home and journeying to a new land. As night falls, Jacob rests his head on a stone and falls asleep. In his dream, he sees a ladder that stretches from earth to heaven. Angels are ascending and descending on the ladder, and God stands at the top.

When Jacob wakes up, he realizes that he has had a divine encounter. He sets up the stone as a pillar and pours oil on it, consecrating it as a sacred place. Jacob vows to make the place a house of God, and promises to give a tenth of all that he has to God.

There are several lessons that we can learn from Jacob's ladder:

1. God is always with us: Just as Jacob had a divine encounter in his dream, we too can experience God's presence in our lives. God is always with us, even in our darkest moments. We just need to have faith and trust in Him. [Hebrews 13:5]

2. God can use unlikely people: Jacob was far from perfect. In fact, his name means trickster.  He had deceived his father and brother and was on the run from his own family. Yet God still chose to reveal Himself to Jacob and use him for His purposes. This should give us hope that God can use even the most unlikely people for His glory.  When you're called by God no one can stop you. We have to remember, we are but earthen vessels, that the excellency may be of God.  He gets all the glory. [2 Corinthians 4:7].

3. We should consecrate our lives to God: Jacob consecrated the stone as a sacred place and vowed to give a tenth of all he had to God. We too should consecrate our lives to God and give Him our best. This means offering our time, talents, and resources to God and using them for His purposes.  Don't pretend to give your all and cause God's judgement to come upon you like Ananias and his wife Sapphira, who lied to the Holy Spirit about their property. [Acts 5:1-11].

4. We should be open to divine encounters: Jacob's encounter with God was unexpected and life-changing. He had no idea he would be wrestling with an Angel that night.  Jacob was on the run.  He was plotting how he would survive his brother's wrath.  So we too should be open to divine encounters and be willing to listen to the Holy Spirit. He may speak to us through prayer, reading the Bible, or through other people.  Be careful who you entertain or how you treat people, it just might be an Angel.  [Hebrews 13:2].

In conclusion, the story of Jacob's ladder is a powerful reminder of God's presence in our lives. It encourages us to have faith, trust in God, consecrate our lives to Him, and be open to divine encounters. May we all strive to follow Jacob's example and make our lives a house of God.