Surprised while burgling a house in Antwerp, Belgium, a thief fled out the back door, clambered over a nine-foot wall, dropped down the other side, and found himself in the city prison.* Now, there’s someone who got just what they deserved! We all feel a little better when we see justice done, don’t we? Seeing someone get their comeuppance makes us feel like justice is being well-served.
Yesterday I read Genesis 28 where Jacob leaves his mother and father and heads to his Uncle Laban’s to find a wife. As he makes his journey, he stops to rest, and while sleeping, he has an incredible dream where angels are ascending and descending a ladder to heaven. God spoke to Jacob in this dream and reminds him of the promises to bless him and his family, and He also reminded Jacob that He would be with him. Whoa! Isn’t this Jacob the one who had just lied six times to his father and blasphemed God? Shouldn’t the Lord be issuing a warning or dishing out some sort of punishment instead? It seems so, but then, is God acting out of His character in speaking to Jacob in such a way? Oh no. Here we see God’s mercy, love, patience, and compassion. Jacob will reap the consequences for what he’s done, as we all do, but just as that ladder extended from heaven to earth, so is God’s mercy extended to us!
I was so thrilled to read how God responded to Jacob, because I realized that this is exactly how God works in my life. He allows His precious Spirit to convict me before I get too far away. He reminds me of God’s great love for me, and draws me back to Himself.
At the end of the chapter Jacob says, “If (since) God is with me and will do all this for me, the Lord shall be my God!” God is at work in each of His children’s lives in the same way He worked in Jacob’s life, and He desires that our response be the same as Jacob’s – “You, Lord, will be my God too!”
Are you drawing near to Him by confessing and forsaking your sin? He loves you, Friend. See the ladder? His mercy is extended to you!
With love,
RefreshHer 