Found in the FightSample

Set Apart for an Encounter with God

Jacob was forced to flee after deceiving his father and stealing the first-born blessing from his brother. Alone, on the run, uprooted, unsettled, uncertain and uncomfortable, Jacob headed to Harran, but God had mercifully set up a divine encounter with him. He lay down to sleep, resting his head on a stone, and God met him there, in his hour of greatest distress. There was nothing special about the sleeping spot Jacob picked, or the stone upon which he rested his head, and yet God chose that exact place to bless Jacob with the promise of His presence, protection, and posterity.

The busy rhythms of our daily lives can render us unaware of God – so feeling unsettled may be the first sign of God’s action in our lives. Interruptions remind us we can’t rely on ourselves, and we must trust God wholeheartedly. God may not be using a dream to get your attention the way He did with Jacob, but He may be using a difficult – seminal – moment to build your trust and tweak the trajectory of your life forever. Like He did with Jacob, God will likely choose an unremarkable place to reveal Himself to you in a particularly significant way. And like Jacob’s encounter with God, yours will have both spiritual and practical implications.

Jacob’s response to God’s revelation was to build an altar. He didn’t want to miss the significance of this defining moment in his life. He decided to let the shaking shape him, and he made that decision before he even saw the fruit of his shaking. Think about what it would look like for you, this week, to surrender to God, trusting Him in the midst of the uncertainty or difficulty you face. How is God transforming you, using what looks like a threat to strengthen you? How is your perspective shifting from earthly to eternal? How is He turning your trial into a testimony?

Jacob encountered God for himself – something we all must do. In this encounter, God made a promise to Jacob, and he saw God with fresh eyes. Jacob said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.’ (Genesis 28:16) Fresh revelation of God always sparks a revolution in us. Today, may you decide not to resent your difficulty but to treat it as a gift. You don’t have to enjoy it – but you can celebrate that it signifies God’s work in your life. He is totally committed to your eternal good, as He was committed to Jacob’s. Even the most confusing and painful things in your life will ultimately serve God’s purposes. May you live with a continual awareness of how God seeks you in your struggle and surrounds you with His kindness. May you be always expectant to encounter Him. And may you know that He shapes you for His glory and your good.