I've been reading through Genesis and came upon Jacob's story.  You remember how with the help of his mother he deceived/tricked his father Isaac into giving him the "blessing".  His brother Esau got so mad he wanted to kill him, so Jacob and his mother again deceived Isaac into allowing him to go to Paddan Aram to go find a wife. But he was really running for his life, to get away from his brother’s vow to kill him. 

 

On the way he stopped to rest at a place called Bethel. Jacob was all alone and he had left behind everything and everyone he had ever known.  But God appeared to him there and promised him that one day He would give him the land he was leaving, that He would bless him, and that He would "be with you and will watch over you wherever you go."  Gen. 28:10.

 

So Jacob goes to Paddan Aram and goes to work for his Uncle Laban.  Jacob met his match in Laban – Laban outdeceived Jacob the deceiver, changing his wages 10 times.  But God kept His promise and blessed Jacob anyway. God gave Jacob 2 wives, 12 kids and great riches.  Finally, after many years it got really uncomfortable there with Uncle Laban.  They were so blessed Jacob and his wives sensed there was no more favor and quite a bit of jealousy toward them. So they fled Laban and left to return to the Promised Land.

 

The problem with returning to the Promised Land was that Esau was there. He had never gotten even with his brother for stealing his blessing many years before. But after Jacob wrestled with the Angel of the Lord all night He blessed Jacob. Esau, who had come out to "greet" his brother with hundreds of armed men, suddenly embraced him instead. 

 

So Jacob settles in the Land near Shechem but before too long, one of the Canaanite princes from Shechem rapes his daughter Dinah. Two of Jacob’s boys, who learned a bit about deception from their father, deceived the prince, his father and whole town, into circumcising themselves. When they were recovering from that and still in a lot of pain, the sons of Jacob attacked the city and slaughtered all of the men to pay them back for what happened to their sister.  Not only that, but they stole everything and carried off the women and children.

 

When Jacob discovered what happened he freaked out. He knew that he was a stranger in the Land. He said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed." Gen.34:30. Jacob knew that he and all his family were in big trouble.

 

So what did Jacob do? He did what we all need to do when we get in a jam. He got a Word from God. The next verse says, ‘Then God said to Jacob, "Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau."’ Gen. 35:1

 

So Jacob pulls up stakes and heads out for Bethel. Bethel you’ll remember is the place where God first appeared to Jacob and made all those promises to him when he first left home. Promises of protection. Promises that Jacob and his sons would inherit the Promised Land they were strangers in.

 

Just the thought of going to Bethel helped Jacob remember God’s faithfulness. He said to his family, “Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone." v.3. 

 

When times get tough and out of control, it’s time for all of us to go back to Bethel. We need to go back in our minds to the place where God made promises to us when we were young and scared. Then we need to remember all the ways God kept His promises to us. He is Faithful – He never, ever breaks His Word to us.

 

So Jacob was revived in his faith and God kept His promises. “Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.” v.5. Supernatural protection was Jacob’s reward for his faith even before he got back to Bethel.

 

When Jacob got to Bethel he obeyed the Lord. He built an altar there. And with every shovel full of dirt, with every rock he lifted in building that altar, he had to be thinking of how God had kept His Word to him. As he watched his sons build that altar with him he also had to be happy that his boys were learning about God’s faithfulness too.

 

Like Jacob, we need to build some altars and monuments in our lives to the faithfulness of God. What a blessing it is to be able to say to our families that God has always “answered me in the day of my distress and … has been with me wherever I have gone.” Those monuments will be markers not only for us but reminders for our kids that we serve a loving, powerful, faithful God.

 

If you are in a jam today, think back on the promises God made to you years ago when you were first learning to trust Him. Then think about all the ways He kept those promises to you. These memories will build your faith and strengthen you through whatever hard times you are facing. May the Lord bless you as you trust in Him!