Although we have free will, the Lord is always the Good Shepherd calling people to faith and calling people to go deeper with Him. As long as we are living on this earth the Lord is continually trying to help us. He is the God of intervention who is patient beyond our understanding.
The Lord was Drawing Jacob Deeper
Jacob was on his way to see his Uncle Laban after a family dispute and along the way the Lord gave him a dream. In the dream the Lord reminded him of the covenant that he made with his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac. This covenant was renewed with Jacob. This dream was so impactful Jacob made a memorial Pilar as a place for worshiping God.
Genesis 28:20 Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, 21 and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God.[1]
The Lord gave Jacob this dream to draw him into a deeper relationship with him. His response in the above verse shows an immature person in the faith, but over time this would change. Twenty years later Jacob was a different person. Going deeper is not easy and God must refine us along the way.
Going Deeper with Jesus takes Prayer
Our first inclination is not to go deeper with Jesus. The call of Peter gives us great insight. Luke 5:8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man…10 Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”[2]
Peter had free will to go deeper with Jesus and fish for men or to stay in the shallows. Peter chose to follow Jesus into deeper things, and it changed his life.
Is the Lord calling you into deeper water? You have free will to say no. In our human frailties we need the Lord’s help to have the desire to go deeper. The Lord has more for us, but we need to pray and ask for His strength to go deeper.
Think about how much richer your life would be in a spiritual sense if you went deeper with Jesus. Think about how your life would be if you did not. What a gift the Lord wants to give us as He extends His hand to take us deeper. Keep your eyes on Jesus and grab His hand and let Him take you into an amazing life of growing in faith. No one who steps into eternity will ever regret going deeper with Jesus!
Will you go deeper with Jesus? Learn more here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/god-has-more-a-dream-for-jacob
[1,2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.