“My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”
“He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” Genesis 28:12
Jacob was running for his life after stealing his father’s blessing from his brother Esau. His father commissioned him to find a wife among his own people, so he was on his way to find the woman to marry. After stopping for a night to rest, he dreamed.
Jacob’s dream about the stairway to heaven served as a blessing on, not only Jacob himself, but on the whole of Israel. To truly understand the implications of the stairway to heaven, one must look at the Tower of Babel. This tower was a man-made contraption designed to reach up into heaven. It was humankind’s attempt to climb the heights of heaven and served as a direct look at the pride of mankind, the belief that man could do anything individually, by himself.
The Stairway to Heaven, on the other hand, was built by God. Man wasn’t ascending this ladder. No, the angels were descending. Angels of the Lord were coming to live among the people— God was in control of this stairway. He makes the connection.
Our union with God does not stand on a tower of our own good works, each deed piled on top of the other in an attempt to reach God. No, God’s blessing, His oneness with His people, comes directly through His own power and by His own will. Through Jesus, God brought Jacob’s dream to fruition, as Jesus served as the staircase, merging heaven and earth through His sacrifice. Jesus is the gate; He is the way in which Heaven and earth connect. Our good works are a product of His light, and our deeds help our fellow man as we walk this path together.
This Lenten season may the Stairway to Heaven remind you that your salvation does not rest on your shoulders.
Submitted by Sydney Shrimpton
Prayer Dear Jesus, thank You for serving as the gate, the reminder of God’s connection with His people. Forgive me when my pride leads me to stack my deeds, comparing with others in an attempt to reach the top. Remind me daily of Your grace and my total reliance on You. Amen.