Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food to eat and clothing to wear, and I return safely to my father’s home, then the LORD will become my God.
Genesis 28:20-21 NET
Jacob’s name means “heel grabber,” a Hebrew expression that implies “one who deceives.” And Jacob certainly lived up to his name. With his mother’s help, he had deceived his father into giving him the blessing that was rightfully his brother’s. As a result, he had to flee for his life.
One night, early in his journey away from home, Jacob had an encounter with God. God appeared to him in a vision, standing at the top of a stairway connecting heaven and earth. And God made an unconditional promise to him. God would protect him wherever he went and bring him back to Cannan. And he would give Jacob the land as well as countless descendants. This promise reaffirmed an earlier promise to Jacob’s father, Isaac, and his grandfather, Abraham.
In response, Jacob vowed that if God kept his promise, then Jacob would serve him. Jacob made his service to God conditional on God providing for him and bringing him back home.
How many of us are like Jacob in this account? So long as we perceive God as blessing us, we will serve him. Or at least make the pretense of serving him. But when life gets hard, and things do not go the way we think they should, we abandon God and look for help elsewhere.
Trust God, not just in the good times, but even more so when life is hard. Know that he will never abandon those who have faith in him. Like his unconditional promise to Jacob, he will protect us through whatever challenges we may face. And will, in the end, bring us safely into his presence.
