LORD, IF . . .

Gen. 28:13-15, 20-22:

(Re: Jacob’s dream at Bethel):

“There above it stood the LORD and He said: I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. … Then Jacob made a vow saying, If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will give You a tenth.”

In the above text, look again at the Lord's promise to Jacob: “I am with you and will watch over you . . .” Did you catch Jacob’s response? Don’t miss it: “If God will be with me and will watch over me . . .”

It is apparent according to these texts that Jacob was not resting in God’s character. The Lord very clearly promised to be with him and watch over him. How did Jacob respond to this concrete promise? He said to God: “IF you will be with me and watch over me . . .”

As believers, how many times do we ask God to be with us and watch over us when He has already promised: I AM ALREADY WITH YOU AND WILL WATCH OVER YOU. How concretely do we trust in God’s promises? I.E.- “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

As believers, we tend to respond like Jacob sometimes: “God, IF you will be with me and watch over me . . .“ Like Jacob, we often miss the first part of the text- did you catch what the Lord said before anything else in this passage? He said: “I AM the LORD . . . “ That is one loaded declaration about His character! His Name, “LORD,” illustrates His self-existence, His sovereignty, His eternality, His reign, His rule, His self-sufficiency, His omnipotence, His omnipresence, etc. In other words, the Hebrew means “I AM.” This is the Name Yahweh would reveal to Moses in Exodus 3:14.

In contemporary Christianity today, we like to focus on many methodologies. Some methodologies may be good, however, unless we know and trust in the “I AM,” these methodologies will prove useless. So brothers, are we trusting in God’s precious promises today? Stated another way: Do we trust in who the LORD IS? If we do, then we will grow closer and closer to our LORD, and sanctification will be clearly evident to our selves and to others. Let who He IS be the meditation of your heart and mine today.