God’s Unique Ways

God’s Unique Ways

This week, I read the Bible story of Jacob’s first time leaving home. I have read it numerous times; however, in this reading, I noticed something I had not seen before. Today, I share my observation in the hope that it will help you understand the way God deals with us and how easy it is to make incorrect assumptions based on our experiences.

Here is the story, “Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway. At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants… What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go…’ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!’ But he was also afraid and said, ‘What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!’” (excerpts from Genesis 28:11–13, 15-17, NLT)

In the dream, God stood at the top of a stairway speaking to Jacob, reassuring him that he was not alone. God’s promise to Jacob was connected to the promises he had made to his father, Isaac, and his grandfather, Abraham. He assured the young man that he was with him and would protect him.

When Jacob awoke, he was deeply moved by his incredibly unique encounter with God. He recognized God was with him and took great comfort in that fact. Unfortunately, he also made an incorrect assumption, asserting that the place where he had the dream was the gateway between earth and heaven.

Though Jacob’s conclusion seemed logical to him, it was inaccurate. Many passages in the Bible make clear that God does not have a gateway between heaven and earth, for he is everywhere, and no one else in the Bible met God at this exact spot.

While God is with us, how he chooses to reveal himself to us may vary. No one in scripture had the same dream. Assuming everyone will experience God the exact way we have ignores the unique ways God has dealt with people in scripture. Treasure your spiritual experiences and yet never assume God must deal with everyone else the very same way he has dealt with you. God always remains true to who he is, and scripture says he never changes; however, because he loves everyone, he meets each of us where we are, and our experience with him is likely to be a bit unique.