Devotion

Have you ever woken up from a dream and wondered about its meaning?

The Lord spoke to Jacob in a dream, and some of its meaning was clear: God promised to give Jacob and his offspring the land on which he was laying. He promised that Jacob’s descendants would become numerous and spread throughout the earth, and that through them all the families on earth would be blessed. For a young man who was still single and had no children and no permanent home, this was an amazing promise.

God always keeps his promises; Jacob’s family line grew and became the nation of Israel. The land Jacob was lying in was Canaan, the Promised Land, the land that God gave to Israel. And despite Israel’s frequent disobedience, God would never leave them, because he had promised to finish what he started.

But what about the ladder? What was the meaning of this bridge between heaven and earth? Many centuries later, Jesus told one of Jacob’s descendants, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (John 1:51). Jesus was revealing that he is the bridge between God and humanity! Because of our sin, we are separated from a holy God, and there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. But God loved us so much that he sent his Son, Jesus, to rescue us. Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live, died on the cross to take the punishment our sins deserve, and rose from the dead three days later, defeating sin and death! Through faith in Jesus, we can be forgiven of our sins, restored to a relationship with God, and receive the gift of eternal life. Salvation through faith in Jesus is how God would bless all the families of the earth, just as he promised Jacob. The bridge, the ladder, is Jesus!