Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:15)
The personal encounter with God can do wonders in establishing identity and purpose.
Jacob had an awareness of God. You can imagine both of his parents would be talking about Him. It would be no surprise if his Dad, in particular, would make constant references to the God of his father and how God had done marvellous things. So Jacob would possess a knowledge of this God, but that knowledge didn’t stop him from living up to the meaning of his name and taking advantage of his brother to supplant him.
Once he was out of the covering of his family, on the run to avoid the murderous intent of his bitter brother, he now found himself having to get used to this new way of operating. And as that new phase in his life began, it was founded on him having his own encounter with God. Sure, that encounter was in a dream, but it left a sufficient mark on him that affected how he viewed what happened in his life. It was one thing to receive the blessing from his father, but what he experienced in the dream recorded in Genesis 28 would have huge implications.
This dream did not feature a conversation between God and Jacob – it was all about God revealing Himself to Jacob and how the relationship and lineage meant that Jacob was a part of God’s plan to bless the whole world through him. That also wedded God to Jacob in a covenant relationship where Jacob would know beyond any doubt that God was for him and with him, even to the point of ensuring the safety of Jacob until the mission was complete. Before that, Jacob thought he was being sent by his Mum to protect him. Now he realised that leaving to become a man under God’s watch was far more important.
This episode is not recorded to give people the impression that God talks to everyone in the same way. If you haven’t received your miraculous call yet, look to those sterling examples of what it means to be a man, and you’ll get it. That’s not what this episode is for. Yet, this episode highlights a crucial role in the importance of shifting from a relationship based on what you think. It’s got to be a relationship that leaves you in awe at how we get to play a small role in the eternal promises of God. The relationship has to be underpinned by wonder and awe at the greatness of God and how that defines everything else. And among them is your identity in Him and what He has sent you to complete.
This is something evident in individual scenarios, but it can be the case for a group of people joined together to complete God’s plan in their time, to likewise have a greater understanding and clarity of that because of their relationship with God, which moves from just knowing about Him to now having the chance to relate to the King of the Universe. And this is something He takes delight in initiating as He rescues us from the Kingdom of darkness and informs us that now we are His children, adopted to be a part of His family. As His offspring with new life in Him, He sets the terms and conditions, and He is the one who makes the glorious invitation to do Kingdom business with and through Him as He works through us.
God does not want us to know about Him – He wants us to know Him. He doesn’t want us to have a partial relationship – He wants a life totally sold out for Him. Through that relationship development, He clarifies how we operate in this season and trusts us to follow Him to better and deeper things.
It’s worth paying attention to what God says about who He is and who we are in the light of that. It also goes to show the level of importance we place on listening and understanding what He’s saying as well as living in a constant of awe that the Creator of the universe sees fit to meet with us, commune and commission us to follow His lead to fulfil all that He has built us for until it’s time to move on.
For His Name’s Sake
C. L. J. Dryden
Shalom
Life With CD 
Bravo sir, as always. What you capture here is both significant and encouraging, we can’t even begin to know who *we* are until we understand who *he* is. He is our source and our journey.