I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land. Genesis 31:13
After the vision of last week’s blog, Jacob had to go forward in his journey as he fled his brother and his home. He married, bore children and gathered wealth through the years. In today’s verse, God is ready for him to return to his homeland.
Perhaps God is using this interaction to remind Jacob of his devotion during their last encounter, his anointing of the stone, his vow that since God was taking care of Him, He would be his God, and that the place where he anointed the stone would be God’s house.
Surely, in his surroundings, Jacob would take this vow and speak the name of God in this land and worship Him. He must not forget, but remember his important commitments.
Like chess pieces on a chess board, God seems to be strategically moving His people. His will is in action. And He is caring for His own. Even when Jacob had been mistreated and done wrong throughout the span of the years gone by, God held him in the palm of His hand.
It is essential, at times, for all of us to look back and remember where we have come from and where we are going. How did we get through the hardest times in our lives? How did God bring us through in His mercy. Are we speaking His name and worshipping Him in the “land” in which we live?
It is good to remember our first love, the Lord our God and to come and present ourselves to him in devoted commitment and renewal of our lives in surrender.
When I quiet myself before the Lord, calling everything else in my life to slow down, I have moments in which I make time to meditate and remember the commitments I made to my Father in the past.
Sometimes, sudden thoughts cross my mind, just like the opportunity Jacob experienced, in which recommitment happens. It’s like a flashback of a dream or of a turning point in my life.
Father, remind me what I have forgotten. You are my First Love and my central focus. Let my life be given up on the altar of sacrifice for you and your Kingdom. Fill me with your love and your fire for what plans you have for me. Anoint me and open the path for me to follow your will. In Jesus name, Amen.