Jacob was a dreamer

This post was presented at our Praying Over our City Meeting as we considered that our citizens have dreams and they need Jesus to help them become all they can be.

Jacob had cheated his brother Esau big time, and now Esau wanted to kill him, so his mother begged Jacob to go to her brother Laban’s home and find a wife from their clan, who served God.  She did not want him to marry any of the women near by who were wicked and worshiped other gods.

So Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.  And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.

And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon you lie, I give it to you, and to your children.  

And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

So Jacob rose early in the morning and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil upon the top of it. And he named that place Bethel, which means House of God.

Jacob also made this promise, "If God will be with me and protect me on this journey which I am making and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, and if I return safe and sound to my father's house, then Jehovah shall be my God, and this stone which I have set up as a pillar shall be a house of God. And of all that thou shall give me I will surely give a tenth to thee."  (Wow he promised to tithe.)

Jacob arrived at Laban’s home, and there he was cheated many times by Laban.  First the wife he thought he was working for; turned out to be the ugly sister.  Then Laban changed his wages 10 times trying  to prevent Jacob from being blessed, but God showed Jacob in a dream how to gain his flock of cattle, goats and sheep. 

And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chestnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.  And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink.  And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ring-streaked, speckled, and spotted.

Jacob told his wives, I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, at mating season the cattle were ring-staked, speckled, and grizzled. 

Although this seems strange, and an odd thing that God asked Jacob to do, we must be open when God is showing us witty inventions or methods to become successful in life.  Understand that God can give you visions and dreams on how to be inventive and show you ways to prosper.

And the angel of God spoke unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, “Here am I.” And the angel said, Lift up your eyes, for I have seen all that Laban has done unto you. 

I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar, and where you vowed a vow unto me: now arise, take your family and get out from this land, and return unto the land of your kindred.

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Have you ever found yourself in trouble and promised God  “If you will only get me out of this predicament, I will serve you and pay my tithes.”   It is a good thing to keep a vow that you might have made to God when things were a bit scary.  Remember your promises and God will remember his promises to you.

God still gives dreams and visions – but the sure way to find direction is in the Bible and in prayer.   Usually we hear the still small voice sharing what to do next.

The people in our city need God and as we pray let us ask God to soften their hearts, to open their minds and desires be ready to receive God’s will in their lives.