Stones: Making God's Faithfulness Your BedrockSample

Your Worthiness Comes from God’s Faithfulness

When my son Caleb was a toddler, he would ask me the same question every time I’d drop him off at preschool or church: “Will you be with me?” His endearing, squeaky tone could make any Scrooge smile. And I think that question is one we all ask God even as we grow into adults. Will God be with me? Will he be with me through my darkest valleys? Will he turn away from me when I make my poorest decisions? Will God choose to stay with me when it seems like everyone else is leaving?

In the same way Caleb needed the reassurance of my presence, I believe you and I are searching for reassurance in our faith walk with God. Jacob needed consolation, too. That’s why God intentionally says confidence-producing phrases to Jacob like “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go” (Genesis 28:15).

The timing of this promise is significant. God does not promise his presence to Jacob after some great act of obedience or worship on Jacob’s part. Instead, he speaks to Jacob in a dream as he sleeps with his head upon a stone after stealing his brother’s blessing and fleeing his wrath. God presents himself to Jacob in a way that embodies his promise to be with Jacob and watch over him wherever he goes. God makes his faithfulness known at a moment when Jacob likely felt least deserving.

This won’t be the last time that a stone plays a role in Jacob’s story. Just after the dream, he creates a stone memorial at Bethel to commemorate his vision from God (Genesis 28:18-22). In the next chapter, he rolls away a stone from a well after meeting his future wife, Rachel (Genesis 29:10). Later in Genesis, Jacob builds a stone memorial when entering into an agreement with his father-in-law, Laban (Genesis 31:45-54). In Genesis 35, Jacob creates a pillar of stone at Bethel to renew his covenant with God (Genesis 35:14). He is constantly grappling with that which is hard, and he is consistently reminded that his worthiness comes from God’s faithfulness and nothing else.

Jacob’s encounter with God in Genesis 28 comes by way of a dream, and then, just chapters later in Genesis, Jacob and his daughter Dinah live through a nightmare. I believe God made sure the editors of the book of Genesis would show readers like you and me that God is faithful in every circumstance—in our dreams, through our nightmares, and in our reality too. No part of our lived experience happens apart from God’s presence.

If you are searching for some tangible evidence that God loves you, that he is watching over you, let Jacob’s story and stone memorial serve as evidence. If this is what God is willing to do for someone like Jacob, what is he doing for you?

Prayer: God, Sometimes it feels like stones get in the way of my every step toward holiness. Help me to remember that you are the one who determines my worth and that your presence is with me. In Jesus’ name, Amen