So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

Genesis 28:11-12

Jacob was running, but God stopped him and met him where he was. Often, God stops us in the middle of our lives if we look for Him. He wants us to know Him on a deeper, more intimate level, yet we often miss it. Jacob was sleeping when God stepped into his life to show up. He specifically came to Jacob and appeared to Him in a dream – a dream so wild yet so vivid that we can identify with it today.

While Jesus was on this earth and during His ministry of 3 years, He was with the disciples. Among these were the 12 men we know as the apostles and a few other women named in several accounts of the gospel. These people were constantly walking and living life with Christ. He wasn’t just some teacher who would come by and preach but was intimately walking and sharing life with them. They were what we call best friends. I often see in the body of believers – or even modern Christianity as a whole – that we have left the intimacy and traded it for living individual lives. We do not share with others because we fear vulnerability. We question and belittle ourselves while never giving thought to the other struggling person within our view. We think their lives are put together, yet we do not reach out and ask how they are doing. It’s a simple thing that has become an endangered act of courtesy. How can we share life without embracing humanity?

Jesus has commanded us in Galatians to bear the burdens of others. We are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves, yet we do not open up. When we do, it becomes something out of pride or self-interest, rarely done out of humility. This is where we are lacking as children of God, redeemed people through Christ’s bloody sacrifice. It was the main goal and vision of Jesus Christ when He came to earth. We had an agenda: free us from our external captivity and uncomfortable situations. Yet, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, for they do not see the bondage He sees. He has come for a mission – to set the captives free and bring order to internal chaos. For out of the heart, the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45). If we are set free and washed clean, redeemed and made whole, out of our hearts will flow rivers of living water (John 7:38).

That brings us back to the vision Jacob saw. The Aramaic word for ladder is composed of a mem and two lameds. The letter mem is closed in this word and pictures the secrets of the Word of God. The two lameds following it picture the heart knowledge. That ladder shown to Jacob is similar to our unique connection to Christ. It is a personal and intimate promise that He is actively working in our lives. But we must have the humility and open heart to obey Him to walk with Christ.

This is the image of the ladder. The angels ascending and descending on the ladder are God’s servants bringing about the spiritual work in our lives and the lives of others through us. We are to be an obedient vessel through which the compassion of Christ can overflow (mem ~ water) and reach the hearts of others, drawing them near the Good Shepherd (lamed ~ shepherd’s staff).

Another thing is that it is a sacred connection between Jacob and God. God doesn’t need to go through someone else to reach you; He can talk to you individually. The connection God provides through the blood of Jesus (Ephesians 1) is to be sacred, not abused or misused. As it was with Jacob when he woke up, our reaction to God giving us the ability to connect with Him needs immediate obedience. God works in our present, prepares us for the future, and grows us using our past.

Jacob was running from his family. What are you running from? God intervened and got Jacob’s attention with a dream. Is He trying to get your attention?

If satan cannot destroy you because you are a child of the King, then he will distract or delay you from obedience. Walking with Christ requires us to act in obedience and walk step-by-step with Him, or else we will miss His presence. We are to be yoked with Christ, fastened to His side so that when He turns, we turn. When He stops, we stop. When He moves forward, we will get up and move forward too. He is our strong foundation and steadfast Leader. He will not lead us astray. If we only sit under His presence and understand the level of intimacy He wants with our hearts, we can overflow with His living waters and reach others by helping them and bearing their burdens. You can only be overflowing if you sit long enough to be filled. You can only be yoked to Him if you are patient enough to wait and spend time with Him.

He wants to open Heaven on earth through you. Will you let Him extend His ladder down to you? Will you open your heart that He may spill into other’s lives through yours?

That is the story of this Easter/Passover weekend. Jesus walked in obedience to the mission of His Father; His blood was spilled out and overflowed in a way that washes us clean if we only sit under His presence and acknowledge His power. Will you sit at the cross this weekend? Will you sit under the cross daily and let His presence overflow you? He has risen, yes. But Paul does not boast in the resurrection, but in the redeeming life that was broken for you and I. Don’t skip the bloody scene of the crucifixion on your way to the Resurrection of the Lion of Judah. The slain Lamb is the one who is worthy to open the scroll in Revelation 4 and 5. Will you sit with the Lamb and let His life-giving blood spill over you while you sit and wait on Him? Or will you rush ahead and ignore the gruesome penalty?

We walk in the spirit after we die to the flesh. The life is in the Blood. Let Him overflow through you so that He may heal others around you. He has sent us to reconcile the lost and make disciples. He did not tell us to save people. Our job is to love as He loved so that they may see there is no other excuse. Love conquers all. It requires you to look at the cross where the Savior, the Lamb, was broken and obedient to the point of death because He knew the Joy set before Him – that He could call you and me friends if we accept Him.

Sit at His feet and stop running. Maybe then you will know the presence of God like Jacob did when he said, “Oh how terribly awesome this place is.”