Glimpses of the Destination

"Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. God said to him, 'Your name is Jacob; you shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.' Thus He called him Israel. And also said to him, 'I am God Almighty; be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you. The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you.'" -Genesis 35.9-12

It was decades ago that Jacob set out on a journey, without knowing the destination. At the beginning God appeared to him and spoke, and over the next several years he learned and grew. He's been through a lot, gained a lot, and even gotten a couple of glimpses of where the journey leads.

In the beginning God promised to be with him and give him the land. At the wrestling match on his way back he was given a glimpse of who he really was, his true name, but still had some growing to do in order to get to that point. And now God appears to him and blesses him. God himself changes his name and officially brings him into the covenant.

Men, we are on this journey, and most of the time we don't know exactly where we're going, if we did we wouldn't need faith, but I believe that along the way God will give us glimpses of the destination. We get them to fan the flames that drive us to pursue our dreams and passions. We get them to encourage us to keep doing through the rough times. We get them to help us endure the tedious events we have to do. We get them to help our faith grow and to strengthen our identity in God.

This moment in Jacob's life was not the end of his journey, simply another glimpse of all that God had for him and his family if they remained faithful. The glimpses we get of where God is leading are contingent upon our continued obedience to Him. God can't take us somewhere we aren't willing to follow Him to. And it is important to remember that God is faithful. If we are obedient to Him, He will do all that He has promised and so much more abundantly beyond that.

Along the way we'll get glimpses of where we're going. Grab them, hold on to them, and continue to faithfully follow.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor