Jacob Responds To God

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. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee. Genesis 28:16-22

Steps: 1, 2, 3, 11, 12

Jacob recognizes that he has had a communication with God. He is shocked that he is still alive after coming into the presence of God. He decides that since God did not kill him for his sins that it would be the safest thing to cooperate with God to the best of his understanding. He decides to accept God as His God, and that he will trust God with his life and possessions. If God will work with him he will testify of God’s role in his life by paying tithes, just like Abraham did in Genesis 14:18-20. Jacob will trust that God is able to care for him.

Prayer For Today: God thank You for revealing Yourself to us in a manner that we can grasp. As You worked with Jacob we believe that You want to work with us. We don’t know the best way for You to work with us so that we to can believe but we trust that You know the ways to our heart and minds that will help us make the same kind of decision as Jacob did. We also pray that You will help us to trust You with our tithes and offerings. Help us to recognize that You do not need our money and possessions but that we need to be able to give these things as our testimony of trusting You. Thank You for working with us.