The Gate of Heaven
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Jacob stopped for the night... Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.
He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord... I will not leave you...”
When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought,
“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”
He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place!
This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”
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In the ancient world there was no email--not even snail mail!
So when the ruler had to get a message delivered and get it right,
a messenger was dispatched.
That word "messenger," is translated, "angel."
The King's messenger had two jobs:
To deliver the words of the king and to take back the reply.
That was their version of a two-way phone call.
Jacob made his own mess. He was too smart for his own good.
His wheeling and dealing left him cold, hungry, and alone.
That night in the desert he was between a rock and a hard place.
He needed God like never before.
So that night, God sent him a message.
Jacob was right: he was in an awesome place.
But it wasn't the place that made it awesome.
It was God's amazing love for Jacob.
The messengers came to show him he was still loved.
God said he was blessed, and there were even more amazing blessings coming soon.
For an instant, Jacob saw the truth.
It took him decades to figure it out, but he never forgot the truth.
In this quarantine time, many of us find ourselves between a rock and a hard place. Our comforts have been stripped away.
We're in a desert.
I wonder...
Could God be showing us that we've been too smart for our own good? That our slick wheeling and dealing has gotten us into a mess, and we need our Lord like never before?
Wherever you are, God wants you to know you are a beloved child of the King. You are blessed, and there are more amazing blessings ahead.
But we may not have the luxury of decades to figure it out.
Right now, you are in an awesome place.
It's amazing because you and God are there.
The King is sending messengers to tell you so.
Oh, and there's one more thing.
The messenger has two jobs.
First to bring you the King's message.
Then to take back your reply.
God is sending you a message of love and blessing.
But what will you reply?
The angels are waiting.
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Lord I am standing on holy ground, and I did not know.
You have opened the gates of heaven, and it is awesome.
I see your angels. I hear your message. I feel your love.
Let my life be a joyous answer to you. Amen.
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