He Never Leaves

It was a really difficult time in Jacob’s life when he had his first direct encounter with God. At least, it was the first time he was made aware of it.

Jacob had usurped his brother Esau through cunning, and he was now on his way to his great granddad’s place to get a wife, per Isaacs’s suggestion. The true reason he went away though, was to escape the vengeful wrath of Esau, whose blessings he had received from Isaac.

I can imagine him uncertain in unfamiliar territory, without a lot of possessions, on his way to start his own family. I wonder what he thought as he took each step forward on the lonely road to Haran.

He knew there was a God his father called upon, he knew his grandfather Abraham also called upon the same God who always answered them and helped them. But where was this God now? Had He remained with Isaac and Rebekah at Canaan?

He must have remembered Isaac’s final blessing too, that the Almighty God would bless him, but how?

So Jacob continued on his journey, trudging alone on that long road with uncertainty before him, and revenge trailing behind him, till it was night and he had to rest.

It’s recorded that he alighted at a certain nameless place, and taking stones, set them up  as pillows, then lay down to sleep. What a day! Indeed, what a life.

With no one to talk to and no one to sing with, it must have been really cold being alone in that place – except he wasn’t alone. He never was.

He had a dream that night and was assured of the continued presence of God. That night he realized that God wasn’t just God of Abraham and Isaac, but the God of Jacob also.

God told him, “What's more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you."¹

Indeed, when he woke up he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”

God assures us too that He is always with us, and will never leave. Nothing can separate us from His love, and as long as we stay away from sin, His Spirit remains with us.

“Don't be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, "I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,"²

If God is all you have, then you have all you need.

¹ Gen 28:15

² Heb 13:5