When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream…

Genesis 28:11-12

Jacob had just left his home to travel to his grandfather’s house. We are not sure that he had ever made God his God. In Genesis 27:20, Jacob lies to his father when asked how he found the wild game so quickly. He says, “The Lord your God gave me success”. He didn’t say “the Lord God” or “the Lord our God” but “the Lord your God”. He deceived his father in order to get the blessing with his mother’s help and now his brother Esau was plotting to kill him as soon as their father, Isaac, died which would be soon. His mother found out Esau’s plan and convinced Isaac that Jacob needed to leave before he married a Hittite woman. So Isaac sent Jacob away to find a wife among his relatives.

So now he was on his way to his grandfather’s house but was also on the run from Esau. He had the blessing from his father, but would never see his father or mother again. His first night was eventful. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway that went from earth up to heaven. Angels were going up and down the stairway. At the top of the stairway stood the Lord God and he gave him a promise. God said He was giving him and his descendants the ground he was laying on; that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him and his descendants and that He would be with him and watch over him and bring him back to this land.

When Jacob woke up, everything had changed. He said “Surely the Lord was in this place and I wasn’t even aware of it!” He had a new respect and fear of the Lord and made a vow to God:

If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with

food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my

God. And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshipping God, and

I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.

Genesis 28:20-22 NLT

Just like that! God spoke to Jacob through a dream and it changed everything! He had encountered God. Today, the same thing can happen. God encounters people in their dreams and it changes everything. They see Jesus and when they wake up, they know He is the Son of God. Their lives are forever changed. God can speak to our prodigal children in dreams also. We can ask Him to speak to our child or grandchild just like He did with Jacob.

Keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for…

Matthew 7:7 NLT

Yes, ask me for anything in my name and I will do it!

John 14:14 NLT

God, just like you spoke to Jacob in a dream and revealed yourself to him when he wasn’t following you, will you speak to _______ in a dream and reveal yourself to him/her so he/she will encounter You like Jacob did?