16 min
God Is Much Closer Than You Know The King's Church International Audio Podcast
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- Christianity
Do you ever feel lonely? Do you sometimes think that your problems and pressures are about to overwhelm you? Do you ever wonder where God is? There is good news for you: God is much closer than you know.
As we continue our inspirational series on Abraham, Isaac and Jacob from the first book of the Bible, Genesis, we see it has much relevance for us today. Genesis is an action packed book full of stories about a God who is good, faithful and wants to bless you, your family and every generation. Maybe you especially need to hear today that God loves you, knows you and watches over you.
In Genesis 28, after Jacob received the blessing from his father Isaac, he went from Beersheba to Harran (southeastern Turkey, near Syria today). As night fell, he rested using a stone for a pillow, and had an amazing dream of a stairway rooted on earth with its top touching heaven, with angels going up and down. Above it, the Lord appeared, reiterating the covenantal promises made to Abraham and Isaac, now extending them to Jacob and his descendants. God promised the land on which Jacob was lying, numerous descendants, blessings for all earth’s peoples through him, and divine presence and protection.
When he awoke, Jacob called the place "the house of God" and "the gate of heaven" (Genesis 28:16-17). He took the stone he slept on and set it up as an altar, anointing it with oil, and naming the place Bethel. Jacob then committed himself to God, promising that the Lord would be his God and he would give a tenth of everything he received back to Him. This story not only marks a pivotal moment in Jacob's personal spiritual journey but also in the unfolding narrative of God's covenant with His people.
Today, God is much closer than you know. He is near, even when you are not aware of it (Matthew 4:17). We see:
1. God wants to speak to you while you rest (Genesis 28:10-11; Exodus 3:4; Psalm 30:5; Psalm 34:18; Matthew 11:29; Psalms 46:10)
2. God wants to give you a dream (Genesis 28:12-15; Matthew 6:10; Romans 8:31)
3. God wants you to experience amazing grace (Genesis 28:16-22; Psalm 18:2; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Mark 12:30-31)
Apply
1. God wants to speak to you while you rest (Genesis 28:10-11). Many times we are looking ahead to the future, busy with the daily reality of our lives. Jacob certainly had a lot of drama going on. He’d just received the blessing and promise from his father in questionable circumstances, he’d seriously fallen out with his brother, he’s leaving his home and is on a mission to find a wife. But it is on this journey in the wilderness, at night, when he’s trying to rest in a hard place that God chooses to speak to him. God speaks to us when we simply rest. He speaks to us when we are quiet in ourselves. He speaks in the wilderness seasons (Genesis 28:10). God speaks to Jacob when he is out on his own in the middle of nowhere! It was when he was on his own that he came to know how close God was. This is so often the time we discover that God is with us in a powerful way. This was also Moses’ experience, 40 years in the desert when God appeared to him through the burning bush (Exodus 3:4). The wilderness is the place of preparation. It is the place of character formation. It’s the place where we grow in humility and come to truly recognise our need of God, learning to rely on Him. Maybe you’re not seeing everything you want to see in your life right now. Maybe you haven’t achieved the goals you want to achieve. Maybe you’re not where you thought you’d be. Well good news, you’re in the right place for God to speak to you in a powerful way! He speaks in the dark times (Genesis 28:11). When did God speak to him? It was night. God was close to him in the darkness. We can all go through dark times in life. There can be times in life that are intimidating, where you can’t see the way forward. You can experience fear, heaviness and maybe even depression. But
Do you ever feel lonely? Do you sometimes think that your problems and pressures are about to overwhelm you? Do you ever wonder where God is? There is good news for you: God is much closer than you know.
As we continue our inspirational series on Abraham, Isaac and Jacob from the first book of the Bible, Genesis, we see it has much relevance for us today. Genesis is an action packed book full of stories about a God who is good, faithful and wants to bless you, your family and every generation. Maybe you especially need to hear today that God loves you, knows you and watches over you.
In Genesis 28, after Jacob received the blessing from his father Isaac, he went from Beersheba to Harran (southeastern Turkey, near Syria today). As night fell, he rested using a stone for a pillow, and had an amazing dream of a stairway rooted on earth with its top touching heaven, with angels going up and down. Above it, the Lord appeared, reiterating the covenantal promises made to Abraham and Isaac, now extending them to Jacob and his descendants. God promised the land on which Jacob was lying, numerous descendants, blessings for all earth’s peoples through him, and divine presence and protection.
When he awoke, Jacob called the place "the house of God" and "the gate of heaven" (Genesis 28:16-17). He took the stone he slept on and set it up as an altar, anointing it with oil, and naming the place Bethel. Jacob then committed himself to God, promising that the Lord would be his God and he would give a tenth of everything he received back to Him. This story not only marks a pivotal moment in Jacob's personal spiritual journey but also in the unfolding narrative of God's covenant with His people.
Today, God is much closer than you know. He is near, even when you are not aware of it (Matthew 4:17). We see:
1. God wants to speak to you while you rest (Genesis 28:10-11; Exodus 3:4; Psalm 30:5; Psalm 34:18; Matthew 11:29; Psalms 46:10)
2. God wants to give you a dream (Genesis 28:12-15; Matthew 6:10; Romans 8:31)
3. God wants you to experience amazing grace (Genesis 28:16-22; Psalm 18:2; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Mark 12:30-31)
Apply
1. God wants to speak to you while you rest (Genesis 28:10-11). Many times we are looking ahead to the future, busy with the daily reality of our lives. Jacob certainly had a lot of drama going on. He’d just received the blessing and promise from his father in questionable circumstances, he’d seriously fallen out with his brother, he’s leaving his home and is on a mission to find a wife. But it is on this journey in the wilderness, at night, when he’s trying to rest in a hard place that God chooses to speak to him. God speaks to us when we simply rest. He speaks to us when we are quiet in ourselves. He speaks in the wilderness seasons (Genesis 28:10). God speaks to Jacob when he is out on his own in the middle of nowhere! It was when he was on his own that he came to know how close God was. This is so often the time we discover that God is with us in a powerful way. This was also Moses’ experience, 40 years in the desert when God appeared to him through the burning bush (Exodus 3:4). The wilderness is the place of preparation. It is the place of character formation. It’s the place where we grow in humility and come to truly recognise our need of God, learning to rely on Him. Maybe you’re not seeing everything you want to see in your life right now. Maybe you haven’t achieved the goals you want to achieve. Maybe you’re not where you thought you’d be. Well good news, you’re in the right place for God to speak to you in a powerful way! He speaks in the dark times (Genesis 28:11). When did God speak to him? It was night. God was close to him in the darkness. We can all go through dark times in life. There can be times in life that are intimidating, where you can’t see the way forward. You can experience fear, heaviness and maybe even depression. But
16 min