"I AM with you"

"Om inte min fars Gud hade varit med mig-Abrahams Gud som också Isak fruktar - så hade du säkert låtit mig fara med tomma händer. Men Gud såg mitt lidande och min möda, och han fällde domen i natt." - Första Moseboken 31.42

I love what Jacob says to Laban:

"If God had not been with me....but God saw...and He judged." - Genesis 31.42

He begins with "If God had not been with me..." saying that His success was FULLY dependent on God's presence alone.

God being with us makes ALL the difference because God ALWAYS has the last word. The bible calls Jesus the 'author and finisher' of our faith (Hebrews 12.2). He started it and He decides how it finishes at the end and He assures us that we have already won with Him. He makes the difference. He fights our battles.

There's a song I love called 'Defender' by Chris McClarney, the lyrics to the chorus are;

"You're my defender,

I put my trust in you,

You are the open arms

My broken heart can run to.

And I remember,

That there is nothing you can't do,

'Cause you are God

And you are good

So I surrender,

You're my defender".

There is no need to fight a battle He has already won for us.

Bethel

"Han kom till en plats där han måste stanna över natten, ty solen hade gått ner." - Förste Moseboken 28.11/Genesis 28.11

"Och se, jag är med dig och skall bevara dig vart du än går, och jag skall föra dig tillbaka till detta land. Jag skall inte överge dig intill dess att jag har gjort vad jag har lovat dig. När Jakob vaknade upp ur sömnen, sade han: "Herren är verkligen på denna plats och jag visste det inte." Han greps av fruktan och sade: "Hur helig är inte denna plats..."" -  Förste Moseboken 28.15-17/Genesis 28.15-17

Sorry for the Swedish, I'm reading in Swedish and in a hurry so don't have time to transalate everything, but feel free to look the verses up in English!

Verse 11 says that Jacob came to a place where he HAD to stay overnight. Sometimes we come to places in our lives where we have no choice but to stay and wait. It might not be where we want to be but it's where we are for a moment in time.

If you're like me, in those places you itch to move on and out, and the hardest thing is to just stay and do nothing. When Jacob was placed in this situation, he slept and had a dream in which God spoke to him, and promised to take care of him. Verse 16 says that when he woke up he exclaimed "The Lord really is here, and I didn't know!" He then declared the place holy on account of God being there, and named it 'Bethel', which means 'God's house'.

In our chaos, especially in our moments of darkness, it's easy to miss God's presence. Wake up to the fact that even in your desert, whilst you're in that place of transition, God is present, and still taking care of you. It isn't a halfway house, it's God's house, 'Bethel'.

I'm in a place in my life right now that I'd rather not be in. NOTHING is going according to my plan. But I've no doubt God is here. So I'm going to do what Jacob did and name the place 'Bethel'; 'God's house', because He is with me and has promised to be with me, everyday, wherever I am.

Don't lose sight of God in your darkness, because I promise, despite what you are going through, He hasn't lost sight of you.

Esau and The Lentil Soup

"And Jacob gave him bread and lentil soup. Esau ate and drank, then got up and went on his way. So little did Esau value his birthright."

Genesis 25.34//Första Moseboken 25.34

Crazy to think Esau exchanged his birthright for a bowl of soup because he was hungry! How many times do we exchange our right to a blessing for something of as little value and long term satisfaction as 'bread and lentil soup' because we are 'hungry'?

We need to be careful not to give up our right to our blessing because our short-term desires and 'needs' take over. The blessing in the long run is worth more than the soup in the short run!