Whether it is in the famous Negro
Spiritual, “We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder”, a traditional English carol, “As
Jacob with Travel Was Weary”, or in the famous English hymn, “Nearer, My God to
Thee”, the scene of grace found in Genesis 28 has been made quite popular in
Christian music. There is something
about the loneliness, the weariness, the pain that Jacob was in on that night
long ago that resonates with everyone’s life.
We all find ourselves in one of those positions often in our lives.
Jacob’s trouble on this famous night
was largely of his own making. Sometimes
our troubles come for the same reason.
Our loneliness and weariness with life may be the result of our sin
nature by birth that has not yet been resolved at the cross of Christ. Jesus said to the weary, “Come unto me all ye
that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” That is the call of salvation. We are to abandon our self striving for
salvation and accept His perfect gift of salvation. That is grace and can be seen in this scene
of grace with Jacob. In the traditional
English carol the chorus resounds with this gift of grace, “Alleluia to Jesus,
who died on the tree, and has raised up a ladder of mercy for me, and has
raised up a ladder of mercy for me.”
Sometimes our loneliness and
weariness come as a process of life. The
pressures push in on every side. There
seems to be no solace, no light at the end of the tunnel in our time of
need. But there is! There is a ladder of light with angels
ascending and descending. God has not
forgotten or forsaken His children.
There is rest in the comfort of access to heaven. As Sarah Adams wrote in “Nearer, My God to
Thee”, what God sends has been “in mercy given”. In that dark hour the angels beckon us to
look up. God is there. Hope, comfort and strength are not so far off
as we think.
Sarah concludes each verse of her
hymn with these words, “Nearer, my God to Thee, nearer, my God to Thee, nearer
to Thee.” Jesus said, “Come unto
me.” We need to draw nearer to God. We need to see that in His nearness are our
joy, hope, strength and peace. In His
nearness we find and “feel” the reality of His grace. “Alleluia . . . {He} has raised up a ladder
of mercy for me.”
You
may also enjoy this inspirational devotional book, The Gospel According to Molly,
available
here:
No comments:
Post a Comment