FEBRUARY 4 IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD

In Genesis 28, we see a lonely man fleeing from his home. Jacob left Beer-sheba and traveled toward Haran on the way to his Uncle Laban's house, running away in fear from the problems he had created.  At the end of a long day of travel, Jacob settled in as night fell with only a couple of stones for a pillow.  This sad, solitary figure huddled in darkness on the cold ground does not seem like a man of God-given destiny.

But that night, Jacob had an amazing dream.  He saw a ladder set up on earth, with the top reaching to heaven and the angels of God ascending and descending on it.  Above it stood the Lord, who reconfirmed the promises He had made to Abraham saying:

I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.  (Genesis 28:13-15) 

What a marvelous experience!  Jacob heard the voice of God, he was given powerful promises by the Lord, and his God-given destiny was revealed.  When he awoke, Jacob made vows and paid tithes.  He also built a monument and anointed it (Genesis 28:16-21).

Jacob had been in the presence of God, but, sadly, his life had not changed.  He was the same old manipulator.  He tried to make a deal with God pledging,  "If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God" (Genesis 28:20-21).

Jacob tried to strike a bargain with God to bless his plans, supply his needs, and protect him--not realizing that God had already promised these things.  All Jacob needed was readily available through the covenant promises given to Abraham, passed down to him, and reconfirmed in his dream.  Jacob was in the very presence of God, yet he was groveling, begging, and seeking for what already had.

What are you begging God for that is already  yours through the covenant promises?  Are you trying to bargain with God by saying "..if You will, then I will"?  Instead of trying to make deals with God, just claim His promises and begin to act upon them.