Does God have a heart? Sometimes it seems like He doesn't. Doesn't He see what's happening in our world? Doesn't He know what's taking place in my life? Why doesn't He do something? Who says He isn't? We dare not limit Him to what we see.
He asked Isaiah (40:12f), “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who has understood the spirit of the Lord?” Think of His words this way.
How much water can you hold in the palm of your hand? How much dust could you take up with a scoop? We are limited; God isn't. He has already measured all the water in His palm. He put all the dust of the earth in its place. He already knows the size and weight of a mountain. He is the Almighty, not limited like we are.
When God spoke these words, His people had been whisked away from their homes. Return to the homeland seemed impossible. Because they didn't see it as possible, many concluded that it was something God could not accomplish, nor did He care. But God wanted to remind His people that they dare not limit God, whether to His power or His love for them. He can solve all problems. Not only can He, He wants to. No matter what our eyes see or don't see, He loves His people and is always there for them.
Happy is the heart that perceives this loving presence of God, for that heart will not be shaken. Like the psalmist exclaimed (46:2f), “Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” No matter what our eyes may see or not see, the child of God is to know that he is Secure in the Presence of God.
That was a lesson that Jacob had to learn in our text. May the Holy Spirit graciously reveal it to each of us too. In faith I am Secure in the Presence of God, for I. He watches over me day and night… II. Wherever I go… III. Because He loves me and forgives me… IV. Until He brings me home.
I. He watches over me day and night.
Who says God isn't doing something? Be careful, dear friend,
about what you say, because we don't always see God's gracious activity in our lives. Yet He is always present and active.
For example at the time of our text Jacob was on the run. He was fleeing the wrath of his brother Esau who wanted to kill him. Esau wanted his younger brother dead because Jacob had tricked him out of the birthright. He was angry. Jacob had no choice. Either run for his life and live, or stay home and die. Jacob chose flight.
He left everyone behind him: father, mother, friends. He left the comforts of home, everything that he loved and was familiar with his whole life. Lacking money, food, and extra clothing he set off for a distant land where an uncle, whom he had never met, lived.
Lonely, tired, depressed he stopped for the night when the sun went down. He had traveled over 60 miles from home on foot, in one day. That tells you how scared he was. There he lay under the night sky, no blanket to warm him, a stone for a pillow, exposed to danger. I wonder what thoughts were running through his head that night as he looked around at the emptiness around him before he fell asleep. Because of what happened next, I am sure that thoughts of loneliness had overcome him. He did not see God there.
In his sleep God had prepared a special treat for Jacob. He sent Jacob a dream in which suddenly a ladder appeared, stretching from earth into the heavens. Then angels were seen going up and down the ladder. Then the Lord appeared at the top, standing over him.
What a marvelous way for God to cheer His sad child in his loneliness and fear. Jacob's eyes told him one thing as he looked around at the barren countryside: “You're alone. There's nothing here to protect you; no one here to watch over you.” But the reality was quite different. God and His angels were present, making sure that no harm would befall him and that no disaster would come near his tent, for God had commanded His angels concerning him to guard him in all his ways (Ps.91:10f). They were watching over him day and night . It was a reality that Jacob did not see with his eyes, but God gave him in a dream so that he could feel Secure in the Presence of God.
To know God this way, as Jacob “saw” that night, is to trust Him under all circumstances, no matter how trying, no matter how hidden things might appear to our eyes. I dare not forget what God can do and is always doing in my life. He knows and He carefully watches over me day and night. I am Secure in His Presence!
“Do you not know?” the Bible asks (Is.40:28). “Have you not
heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary.” “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip – He who watches over you will not slumber nor sleep…He will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life…your coming and your going both now and forevermore” (Ps.121:3f).
Don't ever let any evolutionistic idea rob you of that truth. For to lose sight of God as Creator is to forget that He is the Lord, the Almighty, the Ruler of heaven and earth, concerned for His creatures' well-being. And to know Him as Jacob “saw” Him here is to believe that under every circumstance He watches over me day and night . I am Secure in the Presence of God…
II. … Secure wherever I go.
That was God's promise to an uprooted Jacob. Jacob was on the move. It was nice to have this dream of God watching over him while he slept. But Jacob had to know more than that God was in that place. He had to know that God would go with Him anywhere.
So it was that God did more than show Jacob a dream. He spoke His word to him promising, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying…and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south…I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.”
Jacob was on the move, just like many people today. That's pretty much the story of our society, isn't it? It's the story of all of you in some way. It was also the story of many a biblical character.
Think of how God had called Jacob's grandfather Abraham to make a move that would change his whole life. God called him from Ur of the Chaldees in the east, to a land he had never seen before in the west. Years later his descendents, the Children of Israel, moved from that land to Egypt and back again. Later yet, Israel journeyed to Babylon as captives, and still later returned home safely. Jesus moved from place to place preaching the Gospel. St. Paul and the other apostles traveled far and wide, too. God's people live in a mobile world.
They say about one out of five people move to a different location every year. They move looking for jobs, some are transferred, some are going to school, some move for reasons of health, some for age, some for family, some because of retirement, some are trying to escape the past and trying to make a new life.
Jacob was like them; he had to move. And he probably left home with a guilt-ridden conscience for what he had done against his father, against his brother, and more so, against God. He had sinned. As a result of that sin, he had to go elsewhere to seek his livelihood. It wasn't an easy move, and it filled him with all kinds of doubts and questions about his security.
How wonderful to hear God promise that first night, “I am with you, wherever you go. I will protect you, wherever you go . I will prosper you and your descendents, wherever you go. I will not leave you until I have done all that I promised, wherever you go. ” What a comfort for this and every sinner who returns to the Lord!
We cannot depart from God's presence; He is everywhere. He's always in control, even when we try to fashion our own destiny without God and make a mess of it. Who knows where we might be taken in our lives, or even where we take ourselves - sometimes because of sin? But wherever we are, the Lord is present encouraging His people who look to Him in faith, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of (your enemies), for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Dt.31:6).
He is there to lighten my load, to guide my way, to strengthen my resolve, to secure my future. Why?...
III. …Because He loves me and forgives me.
That is brought out in so many ways in the Bible and in so many different places, even here.
You know, the Bible is a very truthful book. It shows us God's people just as they are - in their triumphs and in the depths of their sin. Think of what Jacob had done.
Jacob had tricked his own brother and had lied to his own father. That's pretty despicable because his father was old and blind and trusting when Jacob took advantage of him. But above all, Jacob had failed to trust God and leave the matter in His hands.
Later on we are told how Jacob felt about this. He prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, and Isaac, and (my Lord)…I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant” (32:9f). He acknowledged his sin, and God forgave him .
How can this be? If God is just and righteous and serious about His commandments, how could God forgive Jacob his sin and not punish him? How can God forgive any of us and not punish us?
That's grace! The Epistle today described it: “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We have now been justified by His blood.…Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (Ro.5:8f,1f)
The answer for sin is God's answer – Christ alone. The way of forgiveness is God's way – Christ alone. The access to the blessings of grace is God's access – Christ alone and faith in Him. That's how God demonstrates His love for us – in Christ. In Christ I have stepped into God's Presence where He by grace secures me. Why? Because He loves and forgives me. And it shall remain that way…
IV. …until He brings me home.
Jacob stood with his back to the life he had known. It was now gone, passed, a mere memory. All that was ahead was an unknown future. Would he ever again see his family or the land that God had given them? God assured him, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised.”
No matter where Jacob went, God would go with him, lead him, guide him, and someday bring him home . It happened just as God promised, but it took over 20 years of God schooling Jacob to patiently rely on Him. And God blessed Jacob every step of the way. Over time Jacob learned the truths of Paul's words: “We also can rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Ro.5:3). Over time God teaches us that in Him everything will be fine in the end.
Dear friend, wherever you go in faith because of job, school, family, or problems, Christ will go with you. Whatever danger you get yourself in, Christ will watch over you day and night . He will watch and watch and watch until He brings you home, because He loves you and forgives you. Bring me home here on earth? I don't know. But of this I am certain. As His redeemed child, “I'm but a stranger here; heaven is my home.” That's where He shall bring me.
And on the way I am ever secure, Secure in the Presence of God. God grant it to us in faith for Jesus' sake. Amen.