Our daily reflections follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, designed for those who want to read the whole Bible in one year. Each reflection focuses on one of the chapters from that day's readings. Darllenwch rhain yn Gymraeg.
Lord, prepare me to receive your word. Clear my mind and warm my heart. Assure me of your loving purposes for me, and speak into my life today.
This story takes place as tensions between Jacob and Esau are rising. It's becoming clearer that Jacob is the son through whom God will make a nation and bless the world. His dream of a ladder up to heaven with angels going up and down is a symbol of the fact that with all his faults, he has a relationship with God: Esau never dreams of angels.
It's also a powerful symbol of the closeness of earth to heaven. They are not as far apart as we sometimes think they are. The poet Francis Thompson (1859–1907) lived a troubled life which included drug addiction and homelessness. In one of his poems, The Kingdom of God, he writes of 'the traffic of Jacob's ladder/ Pitched betwixt heaven and Charing Cross' and 'Christ walking on the water/ Not of Gennesareth, but Thames'.
The world can seem very ordinary sometimes, without much room for God. A story like this reminds us that the boundaries between earth and heaven are porous. There's a two-way traffic between them, as God involves himself in our world and we pray to him.
Jacob called the place 'Bethel', meaning 'House of God'. 'The Lord is here! He is in this place, and I didn't know it!' he said (verse 16). Sometimes we have the same experience, perhaps in the most ordinary places. God is never far from us.
God, thank you that you are involved in the world and involved in my life. Help me to be more aware of your presence.
This reflection was written by Mark Woods, Bible Society's Editor
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