Wednesdays in the Word

Here are a couple of lessons from the life of Jacob that I read about this week:

"When the patriarch Jacob ran away from his enraged brother, he went to sleep on a stone pillow in a land that seemed desolate. But after dreaming about heaven and angels and promises...he awoke and exclaimed 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it." Whenever you feel distant from Me, say: "Surely the Lord is in this place!" Then, ask Me to give you awareness of My Presence. This is a prayer that I delight to answer." ~ taken from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

I LOVE that! Whatever desolate, hard (pillow-less) place we may find ourselves in, we can call out to God and He will show us that "Surely He is in this place." He promised that He would never leave us or forsake us. And we know that (eventually) He makes all things work together for our good.  : )

My Bible reading plan has me reading in Hosea and I found these verses on Jacob that I've probably never read before and I loved them:

"He took his brother by the heel in the womb,
And in his strength he struggled with God. 
Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed;
He wept, and sought favor from Him. He
found Him at Bethel and there He spoke to us
-that is, the Lord God of hosts. 
The Lord is His memorable name. (I SOOO love that!)
So you, by the help of your God, return; 
observe mercy and justice, and wait on your
God continually." ~Hosea 12:3-6 Whoo-hoo! Amen!

Bethel means 'house of God' which reminds me of His church and I can't count the number of times I've been going through something and The Lord (being Yahweh which is the personal name of God)
has met me there, in such a personal way. He is 'The Lord God of Hosts' which is Yahweh Tsebaoth: meaning the ruler of every power in the natural and spiritual realms. A title of great power who is leading His army.
When you get overwhelmed, remember The Lord of Hosts is your help! And "wait on your God continually." And be encouraged that "Surely He is in this place!" Amen!

(definitions from Praying the Names of God, by Ann Spangler)

~Becky