Recently I read the poem by Francis Thompson entitled, "The Hound of Heaven". Once he was an drug addict, died of tuberculosis. "The Hound of Heaven" is a 182 line poem. It depicts the Lord as the "Hound of Heaven."
CNN’s recently featured an article about Frank Warren, editor of the book, "The Secret Lives of Men and Women: A Post Secret Book. After a troubling period in his own life, he handed out 3000 self-addressed stamped postcards to people on the street, asking them to anonymously mail him their secrets. It began as a sort of public art project in 2004. To his surprise, the cards started pouring in. He does n’t have to hand out cards anymore. He has received over 100,000 cards, many of which are works of art in themselves. It has led to PostSecret.com, and there are now many sites like it where you can confess your sins or tell your deepest secret anonymously. One postcard had an old picture of a Santa Claus with two boys on his lap. On the picture were written the words, “I wish my sons would contact me.” Another that I was particularly drawn to was one where a man had taken a picture of his hands praying, and written on the picture: “I don ’t know how to go back to God, and I want to more than anything else in the world.” Both cards were about finding your way back home. One from a father’s perspective who missed his sons, and the other from a lost son who could not find the way back to his heavenly Father.
What makes it so difficult for us to find our way back home? First is the natural rebellion of the human heart. Jacob wanted to get away from his older brother, and maybe he just needed to get away from home and have a change of scenery. However Jacob created most of his own problems through his deceit and self-centeredness.
Many people today would rather continue to live dysfunctional lifestyles than to turn their lives over to the Lord of life. They want God to help them with some of their problems, but they have no intention of surrendering their lives to Him. They are caught up in webs of self-destruction, but they would rather live with the results of destructive choices than give up the control of their lives.
What else makes it difficult for us to find our way back home? In short, many do not know the way. Jacob was a man who needed to find his way to God, but he did not know how. His father, Isaac, and his grandfather, Abraham, both had life-altering encounters with God, but up until this moment in time, Jacob had experienced none of it. He had heard all of the stories of Abraham and Isaac, but had not lived out his own life story. He had grown up as a shepherd and lived a serene existence. Jacob had not yet felt much need for God. We never read about any conversations between Jacob and God. We never read about him worshiping God until he met God at Bethel. But Jacob desperately needed God. After he swindled his brother out of his birthright and inheritance, the conflict between them escalated to the place where he was in fear of losing his life. He needed to go home to God, but he did not know the way.
The good news is that when we cannot find our way to God, God comes to us. Jacob ran from his brother and his problems — the problems he himself created. Finally, on the run, the night came and he fell asleep. A rock pillowed his head, and above his head were the open heavens. As he slept, God revealed himself to Jacob. In his dream there was a ladder, or staircase, the top of which reached heaven and the very throne of God. God revealed Himself and promised Jacob that he would inherit the promises which God had made to his father Isaac, and his father Abraham before him. The Lord repeated those promises to him personally saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth... All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (Genesis 28:13-15).
Jacob called the place “Bethel,” which in Hebrew means ‘House of God.’ This special place was to him the very dwelling place of the Lord. Jacob met God. It was purely by God's grace. Meeting God was probably the last thing on his mind. He was only thinking of getting away from his brother. His mind was full of thoughts about where he was going and what was ahead of him. But God broke into Jacob’s self-absorbed world in a dramatic way. God opened his world to Jacob, even when Jacob had closed his world to God.
This whole incident tells us something very important about God. Isaiah the prophet quotes God as saying, “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I’” (Isaiah 65:1). God is full of surprises. Just when you do not expect to meet him, he comes to you. God can interrupt our self-centered lives in the most amazing ways, even when we do not want to hear from Him.
Thank you Jesus.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjZEDg9ZGKQ
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