Stairway to Heaven.

We have been talking about perspective and learning to see things God’s way. Sometimes when crazy things are happening around us, it is hard to see God through it all. This week, we are going to be talking about Jacob. 

We pick up the story in Genesis 28 where Jacob had just taken the blessing that was meant for his brother Esau. His dad was upset with him and Esau wanted to kill him. Jacob had to run away from home. What once was a safe place was no longer safe for him. As he was on the run, he stopped for the night. Slept on a rock. Talk about someone having a rough night. But as he was in that rough and dark place, a place where life as he knew it seemed so far in the past and his future was uncertain, God was in that place with him too. 

It’s easy when we are going through a rough patch to forget about God or to not see Him in the midst of it. It’s easy to see God in the good times, but in the hard times it feels as though He is distant and we have been left alone. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Genesis 28:12 tells us that, “As he [Jacob] slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.” Isn’t it amazing how we can be in a place that feels hopeless and dark but God can be right there in the middle of that situation with us? What God did for Jacob was to shift his perspective. Whereas Jacob felt alone and uncertain of his future. God lifted the veil a little and allowed him to see that he wasn’t alone. There were angels all around him. There was a staircase to heaven, meaning Jacob had access to heaven. 

Genesis 28:13 continues on and says, “At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and He said, “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…”

Don’t you love that about God? Jacob was in the middle of running away from all that he had ever known and as he was running to the unknown God helped changed his perspective on his future. When Jacob thought he was all alone, he saw angels descending and ascending to heaven. When he was probably questioning whether God was with him and still loved him, God showed him a stairway to heaven, access right to the throne of God. 

When Jacob thought his best days were behind him, God told him that he had given him the land he was lying on. When Jacob was unsure of whether he would live or his brother would catch up with him and kill him, God told him that he would have many descendants and the people of the earth would be blessed through him, see verse 14.  How good is that?

So next time when you are going through a rough patch, remember what Jesus did for you. Jesus was abandoned on the cross so God would never ever leave nor forsake you. Jesus paid the price for your sins so you could live in the blessing of the Lord. Your best days are always in front of you because our God is good and faithful to us. 

When your mind feels stuck in the dark places where it looks like you have no future, remember that Jesus lives in you. You have the stairway going up and down to heaven right inside of you. Jesus is your access to the throne room of God. Get in the throne room through prayer and ask your Papa God to help you see Him in your situation. You are loved beyond measure and God is with you. 

Have a blessed week!

Melissa Tsingano.