In the story of Jacob’s ladder, we have a young man Jacob who has just manipulated the inheritance from his father away from his brother and is on the run from his brother for fear of his life. In the wilderness separated from his family for the first time he is alone and isolated. He fell asleep with his head resting on a rock and in his sleep he saw a ladder rising to heaven with the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Thus the ladder was a means of access to God. Then Jacob heard God bless him saying,
"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, ESV)
When Jacob awoke, he believed that God was present in that place. He took the stone he had been using to rest his head, poured oil on it and consecrated it to God. Then Jacob made 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 clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you." (Genesis 28:20-22, ESV).
Note a couple of things, God’s blessing came to Jacob despite his sinful state and Jacob turned his life around and promised to be faithful to God in response to God’s faithfulness to him.
For Christians, Jesus, the Son of God, who lived among us as a person, who died for our sins and rose again to be with God forever, is our ladder to God and as for Jacob so for us, the invitation is for us all to step onto the ladder of relationship with him regardless of what has gone before in our lives. We may have done the most terrible things in our lives but God longs for us and wants us to be with him as he already is with us. All we need to do is to turn our lives around [that means repent] and as Jacob did, give our lives to God. God never forces us, but he longs for us to open ourselves and our lives to him. If you have never done this before and would like to; here is a prayer you can say’
Loving God, I thank you that you are always with me and that your Son Jesus came to restore my relationship with you. I want to turn my life around. I am truly sorry for the wrong things I have done and know that as I turn to you, you forgive me, Lord. I therefore give my life, all that I am and all that I have and do, to serve you and to love you. I praise you for your love and pray all of this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Sr Elisa Helen