Genesis 28: Don’t Look for a Different Pillow if Yours is Made of Stone

(upbeat music) - Welcome to chapter by chapter four year journey through the greatest book given to the human race. The word of God, the Bible. We get to go through it, chapter by chapter, seven minutes a day and seven days a week. Join us each day and share it with others so they can join this journey that will be life changing. We'll stop at unexpected places on the journey and be challenged. Some verses will create awe and wonder. We'll have chapters that will be instructive but in others we'll find joy and comfort. We will occasionally be convicted and want to change but all in all the journey will be worth it. Once in a while we may take a detour on the journey and hear from some of God's servants on their favorite passages from a chapter of scripture and let them give you their insight. Every journey needs a small detour occasionally. The best way to get the most from this podcast is to read the chapter we're discussing before or after. It's his word that transforms and you'll find more and see more than I can ever articulate. Welcome to chapter by chapter. Today's chapter is Genesis 28. We usually hear like father like son but in this case the son overshadows the father. We all know about the dream of Joseph later on in the book of Genesis. What many have forgotten is that Jacob, Joseph's father, had just as an important dream as his son did. In fact, Jacob's dream from Genesis 28 is referenced in John 1 by Jesus. This is an important dream. Jacob is running for his life literally. He's running with a blessing upon it but he has hurt people. He's lied to people. He's listening to the wrong people and now he is fleeing from the chaos he started. That is Genesis 28. What is remarkable that is that on Jacob's journey while he is running from responsibility, God is still faithful. God shows up one night in the wilderness and gives him a powerful dream. Genesis 28 starting in verse 10. Then Jacob departed from Bersheba and went toward Iran. He came to a certain place and spent the night there because the sun had set and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head and lay down in that place. He had a dream and behold a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to the heaven and behold the angels of God were ascending and descending on it and behold the Lord stood above it and said, "I am the Lord, the God of your Father Abraham and the God of Isaac, the land in which you lie, I will give it to you and your descendants." Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth. You'll spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south and in you your descendants shall be like the families of all the earth, be blessed. Behold him with you and I'll keep you wherever you go and we'll bring you back to this land for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you then Jacob awoke from asleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place and I didn't know 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. God gave Jacob some promises in the stream. Genesis 28 happens in 1928 BC. Genesis 35 is when the dream starts coming to fruition. Genesis 35 happens in 1906 BC. That's 22 years later. 22 years between the dream and the fulfillment. Every dream needs a preparation. The larger the dream, the longer the preparation. Preparation starts in the hard place. Dreams are great, visions are inspiring. Preparation is the hard part though. It's the stone pillar you get for this moment. Preparation is what turns dreams into a reality. Thus the pillows made of rocks. Pillows are a big deal today because sleep is important to healthy living. We hear about everything from my pillow, memory foam, goose down pillows. People want certain luxury hotel pillows and now people pack their pillows. If God gives you a hard pillow, a stone pillow, it means he's preparing you for something. That kind of pillow means you will lose sleep. It will be difficult. What you are hoping would be months may mean years, maybe decades. My advice is don't trade in the stone pillow and sleepless nights. Stone pillows are usually preparation assignments before God brings you to where you need to be. I've had about two or three stone pillows in my life. I've been in places and situations that sleep was hard but a dream was in my soul. What does dreaming on stone pillows look like? It's when you feel like what God has put in your heart is bigger than the place you are in and more than responsibilities that you have. What do you do if you're going to be on that stone pillow each night? You thank God he's preparing you. The preparation doesn't necessarily mean it's somewhere else but it means is that who you are is not capable of walking in that dream just yet. Stone pillows is about the transformation of character. Stone pillow places and jobs are for helping you to tell the truth. Apologize when wrong, learning how to redeem the time, keeping your word, walking in integrity. All of those things are developed in stone pillow places. It's hard every day. The worst thing you can do is to try to find a better pillow, a better job, a better boss, a better city, a better cost of living. God is doing something in you. Don't look for something more comfortable. What seemed to be the worst place was actually the God place. Jacob is running from his problems. He's in an unknown region and he is a stranger. The sun is set and it's dark and you're resting your head on a rock. This is a hard place to be in but it was going to be the right place. Jacob would have a dream and say surely the Lord is in this place. He would declare how awesome is this place and he would name it Bethel, the house of God. Thank you for joining chapter by chapter. Every chapter from the greatest book, the Bible, the Word of God. Seven minutes a day, seven days a week. We'll see you tomorrow.