I write about Stuff

“At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.” — Genesis 28:11–12

The story of Jacob is woven with tension, promise, and the surprising mercy of God. From the beginning, Jacob’s life was marked by struggle. He and his twin brother Esau wrestled even in the womb, and that struggle continued into adulthood. Esau, the firstborn, held the birthright—a position of honour, leadership, and blessing. Yet Jacob, driven by desire and perhaps insecurity, schemed his way into taking what belonged to his brother. First he traded stew for the birthright, then he deceived his father Isaac to receive the blessing meant for Esau. His choices fractured the family and ignited Esau’s fury.

When Esau threatened to kill him, Jacob fled with nothing but fear at his back and uncertainty ahead. Alone in the wilderness, exhausted and vulnerable, he lay down with a stone for a pillow. It was in that place of fear and failure that God met him—not with rebuke, but with revelation. As Jacob slept, he saw a stairway stretching from earth to heaven, alive with the movement of angels. At the top stood the Lord, speaking words of promise, protection, and presence. The covenant given to Abraham and Isaac was now extended to Jacob, not because he had earned it, but because God is faithful even when we are not.

Jacob’s dream was more than comfort; it was a glimpse into the future work of Christ. Humanity’s sin had created a chasm between earth and heaven, a separation no human effort could bridge. But in Jacob’s vision, God revealed that He Himself would provide the connection. Centuries later, Jesus made this explicit when He told His disciples that they would see angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man. Jesus was identifying Himself as the true stairway—the only way for humanity to be reconciled to God.

Jacob’s journey continued to be complicated. Later, as he prepared to face Esau again, he prayed—but his prayer was mixed with self-reliance. He acknowledged God’s goodness, confessed his unworthiness, and asked for help, yet he still clung to his own strategies. He prayed and then planned, instead of praying to receive God’s plan. His story mirrors our own tendency to ask God to bless what we have already decided, rather than seeking His wisdom first.

Yet even in Jacob’s imperfect faith, God remained patient. He guided, protected, and transformed Jacob over time. The man who once grasped for blessing eventually learned to cling to God Himself. Jacob’s dream at Luz was the beginning of that transformation—a reminder that God meets us not only in our strength, but also in our confusion, our fear, and our wandering.

The stairway Jacob saw is still the hope of every believer. Jesus is the way to the Father, the bridge between heaven and earth, the One who comes to us when we are running, hiding, or unsure of what comes next. His presence turns lonely places into holy ground and fearful nights into moments of revelation.

What about you?

Where might God be inviting you to stop striving, rest your head, and let Him show you the way He Himself is providing?