Daily Devotion, February 13, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Genesis 28:10-22.

Jacob was on this journey from his homeland in Palestine to the land of his mother’s family because his brother Esau had vowed to kill him. Jacob and his mother had conspired and had tricked old Isaac into blessing him with the blessing that was rightly Esau’s. To this point in the story, we have seen no evidence of a relationship between Jacob and God. As Jacob lay sleeping, his dream enabled him to see that God was reaching out to bless him and to bless all people of the earth through him. For the first time, Jacob had a sense of awe of God, and he marked the spot as holy. One cannot help but smile to read the terms Jacob proposed for his new covenant with God…if God would do a number of things for him, Jacob promised that the Lord will be his God and Jacob will even tithe! 

Saul had his Damascus Road experience, and John Wesley had a dramatic awakening of his spiritual assurance in his Aldersgate experience. Each of us need experiences, although often much less dramatic than these, that help us to sense God’s awesome presence. Often those experiences come in our times of worship, public or private, when we open our hearts to God.

Personal Worship Option:

Was there a time when you, like Jacob, realized that God was seeking a personal relationship with you? Perhaps there have been more than one of those times. Give thanks that God loves you personally and individually and continues to reach out to you.