Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’
Genesis 31: 11 (NKJV)
Scripture: Genesis 31
God specifically came to Jacob, as He comes to us. Jacob’s response was, “Here I am.” This devotion looks at what happens in between God’s coming to us and how we should respond when He comes.
In Genesis 31: 11, Jacob is telling his wives, Leah and Rachel, about a time when God specifically gave him guidance about what he was supposed to do. He had finished his 14 years of labor to pay the dowry for two of his wives and seven years for which Laban paid Jacob animals. Jacob was ready for the next chapter in his life.
At some point before Jacob and Laban finalized the agreement of what Jacob’s wages would be, God came to Jacob. Oh, man. Yes, God called Jacob by name. God knows exactly who Jacob was and wanted to have a personal relationship with him. He knew the situation and how things needed to go.
Oh, man. Yes, God comes to you and me. He calls us by name. God knows exactly who we are and wants to have a personal relationship with us. He knows the situations and how things need to go. Can you imagine that?
Notice Jacob’s response: “… here I am” (Gen. 31: 11 NKJV). He isn’t like Samuel, who doesn’t know who is talking to him (I Sam. 3: 1-9). Just because we haven’t seen God interact with Jacob since Bethel (Gen. 8: 10-22), we don’t know that He didn’t. But, then again, He may not have.
Aren’t we like that? We go through periods in our lives where we feel like we are having monologues. God is still there. It is kind of like He was in the book of Esther — He’s behind the scenes.
Those periods can vary in the time they last. What trips us up, at times, is we don’t know why God isn’t talking to us. So, we start the self talk.
God doesn’t love us anymore. We screwed up big time, and He is done with us. But He isn’t.
I think sometimes God just gives us time to grow. We have to continue making decisions that He would want us to make. It is up to us to make the right decisions.
Sometimes, God has to work things out to set everything into motion. During the last seven years of Jacob’s tenure in Haran, God was working it out to prosper Jacob. He was transferring the flock from Laban to Jacob (Gen. 31: 10-13). That was a good thing. But it is easy to say that that is just life occurring, not God directing. Think again. God is in control.
God may be working on someone else, preparing them to interact with us. He may have been working on Laban and his sons. Maybe the sons has to grow up to take Jacob’s and Rachel’s jobs at tending the sheep. God will bless those who do not follow Him, just not with His choice blessings that He gives His followers.
Look at Genesis 31: 13: “… Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred” (ESV). That must have flipped Jacob for a second.
Remember, Jacob hadn’t left Canaan in the best of circumstances. He had lied to his father Isaac (Gen. 27: 24). His brother Esau wanted to kill him (Gen. 26: 41). Jacob wasn’t guaranteed that, even after all this time, animosity didn’t still reign.
Jacob could have said that he wanted to stay in his comfort zone. He could have said that he had grown so much here, he wanted to continue on that path. But God calls us to obedience, not comfort. He doesn’t want us to take the safe path. He wants us to take His path.
God sometimes call us out of our comfort zones. Starting this blog has really been out of mine! But the best place to live is the place where we are doing what He has called us to do, even if we are filled with uncertainty.
Jacob doesn’t say, well, I have to check with my wives. He did take the time to explain it to them (Gen. 31: 4-16). Since back in those days, wives were considered property, he didn’t have to do that. He wanted them (and us) to know that God acts for us.
Jacob doesn’t say, Hmmm, I have an established job. Nor does he say, You know, that is a long way to move again.
Jacob says, Here I am. I’ll do what You want me to do. I will live my life for You. He said that at Bethel; he says that here at Haran. God honored that commitment and obedience.
We need to answer God’s call for our lives. We need to make the right decisions and live obediently. We need to say, “Here I am” when God says, “Here’s the plan.”
Loving Heavenly Father. You do have plans for our lives (Jer. 29: 11). Those plans give us hope and Your joy. Still, we have to decide for ourselves to follow Your will. We have to decide to give You control of our lives. That is so hard for us. That goes against what the world tells us. But the world is ruled by Satan, not You. Your ways are so much better. Help us to respond as Jacob did: here we are. Let us respond immediately, confidently, and passionately. Amen.
What do you think? Think about a time when God asked you to do something you really didn’t want to do. What advice would now-you give that-you to help you do what God was calling you to do? Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
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