Nov 03 – Behold, a Ladder!

“Behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven” (Genesis 28:12).

When Jacob was a young man, afraid of his elder brother Esau, he left his parents and set out alone. At that time, the Lord chose to give Jacob a dream. In that dream, he saw a wonderful ladder.

This ladder reveals that the Lord is not far away from us, but near to us. The Bible says, “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him” (Psalm 145:18). He “is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27).

In earlier times, communicating with relatives living in distant countries was very difficult. A letter could take a month to arrive, and a reply would take another month to reach its destination. Today, however, science has advanced tremendously, with mobile phones and the internet. Even when children live in America, they are now just a phone call away, and we can speak with them whenever we wish.

The Lord Himself says, “Am I a God near at hand,” and not a God far away? (Jeremiah 23:23). He is never far from us. He assures us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” He also promises, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

How loving our Lord is! He did not dismiss Jacob as merely a young man or leave him all alone. In His grace, the Lord came to him, revealed Himself, showed him the ladder, and spoke to him lovingly. Jacob’s anxiety about the future, his fear of his brother, and his distress at being far away from his parents were all transformed in a moment. Is He not the One who comforts us as a mother comforts her child? The Bible says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). When we face problems, He comes to our aid, helps us, and protects us.

When the Lord stood above the ladder and said, “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac,” and promised to give Jacob and his descendants the land on which he lay, multiplying his descendants like the dust of the earth and spreading them in every direction (Genesis 28:13–14), how deeply Jacob’s heart must have been moved! He might have thought, “Has the Lord really set His love upon me to such an extent? Has He promised to multiply me?” Surely, tears of joy would have filled his eyes.

Children of God, that same God is your God today.

Verse for further meditation: “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel!” (Numbers 24:5).