Mike Walsh

It is amazing how sometimes when we read the Bible, we can come across a verse that we have read 100 times, but something happens when we read the same verse another time.

Sometimes God’s word just comes alive to us. There is a story in Genesis 29-31 about Jacob and Laban. Jacob was a young man and he ended up in his uncle’s town. At the well he met his uncle’s daughter Rachel and he fell in love. He wanted nothing more than to marry her. He ended up working for Laban for seven years so that he could have Rachel’s hand in marriage. The Bible tells us that Laban tricked him and after working for seven years for Rachel’s hand in marriage, he ends up in the dark of night being given her older sister Leah instead. He was very disappointed and ended up working another seven years for Rachel’s hand in marriage.

Years go by and Jacob continues to work and he continues to make Laban prosperous because Jacob was a blessed man. Jacob realizes that he is doing nothing to help himself, he is only making Laban richer while his own 401K has nothing in it. Finally he tells Laban that he needs to get paid for his work and that it is because of his hard work that Laban is so blessed. So they come up with a payment plan to let Jacob take all of Laban’s black sheep and his spotted and striped goats. But instead of following through and being honest Laban goes that same day and removes all the black sheep, spotted and striped goats out of his herds and he sends them with his sons three days away.

Laban was dishonest and he tried to steal from Jacob once again. After Laban was dishonest, God helped Jacob and whatever deal they made, God would always let Jacob be one step ahead. God worked in Jacob’s favor all the time. In a dream God showed Jacob just how much he was working in his life!  

"And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted. 11 Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, 'Jacob.' And I said, 'Here I am.' 12 And He said, 'Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family,’” Genesis 31:10-13, NKJV said. 

God was telling Jacob that he had his eye on him. That nothing was ever going to happen to him that he didn’t know about and he wasn’t able to fix. God told Jacob that he had seen it all, that nothing got past him. He was basically telling Jacob that no matter what happened in the natural world, God could turn it around in Jacob’s favor.  This word is for us today. No matter how people have treated you, no matter what has happened in your life, God can help you and work on your behalf! No matter if you are a devoted Christian or not, God sees you and wants to have a close relationship with all of us. He is always seeing every detail of our lives. There is no peace like knowing that God is with us and for us.

I encourage you today to open your heart to Jesus, let him rule and reign in your life now. When we allow Jesus to cleanse us of all of our sin and make us clean, things change in our relationship with him in a great way! He will show you how much he cares for you and how he is in every detail of your life. Remember today that God sees you!

(Mike Walsh is the pastor at Glad Tidings Assembly of God.)