The Lord Is With You Wherever You Go –
And Whatever You Do!
Genesis 28:10-22 (NKJV)
10
Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran.
11
So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the
stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.
12
Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the
angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
13
And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: "I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of
Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.
14
Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to
the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
15
Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will
not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you."
16
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it."
17
And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and
this is the gate of heaven!"
18
Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar,
and poured oil on top of it.
19
And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously.
20
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and
give me bread to eat and clothing to put on,
21
so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God.
22
And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely
give a tenth to You."
Introduction:
 One of the great truths of the Bible is God's promise to be with us in
everything, and everywhere we go!
 Even when we don't feel His presence or see how anything good can come
from the trials we are undergoing He is being faithful to us and is very
present in our lives.
 We cannot see the whole picture BUT God does! ... trust Him even when
you are facing difficult times!
1. Sometimes When Nothing Goes Right We Wonder If God
Exists And If He Cares About Us!
A. Such was the case with Jacob:
Page 2
 He came from a dysfunctional family. His father favored his
older brother, Esau, and his mother favored him. This
created division in the family.
 He lived in a home where family members lied to each other,
stole from each other, plotted to hurt one another, and as a
result they were afraid and on the run a lot!
 Jacob is on a long trip to Haran in the text to find a wife from
his father’s family.
 His dad was not far from dying and he probably saw his
mother for the last time because it appears that she died
before he returned home again almost 25 years later!
 Jacob had cheated and lied to his father by stealing Esau’s
birth right!
 He had left his mother because she had warned him that his
brother Esau had plans to kill him! The long term jealousies
that existed between he and his brother were coming to a
head.
 Now Jacob is weary from the trip during this physically and
emotionally difficult time.
B. To say the least, Jacob was a very troubled man facing
very uncertain things and an uncertain future.
C. His life was filled with fear, discouragement,
disappointment, and deception.
 This is true with us when we are facing troubles and find
ourselves scared and unsure of what the future holds.
Page 3
 Discouragement seeps in and pushes our faith aside!
 Everything seems to be going wrong:
Read the ILLUSTRATION about the Bricklayer
D. Jacob had heard so much of how God had been with his
Grandfather - Abraham and his father – Isaac, but he was
wondering why God wasn't with him like He was with them?
E. It is one thing to hear about God helping others and
something else to experience Him helping you yourself!
F. With all the trouble Jacob was experiencing God was
about to reveal Himself personally to Jacob – and Jacob needed it!!
2. If We Will Trust God, He Will Show Up At The Right
Place And At The Right Time With The Right Answer!
A. Jacob is tired, using a rock for a pillow, and God
speaks to him…
Genesis 28:12 Then he (Joseph) dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on
the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were
ascending and descending on it.
B. God reaffirms His covenant with Abraham and Isaac:
Genesis 28:13 & 14 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: "I am
the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which
you lie I will give to you and your descendants.
14
Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad
to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all
the families of the earth shall be blessed.
ILLUSTRATION:
Like a bricklayer who had a tough day on the job and was hurt.
His insurance company wrote him for more information about the incident since his
injuries seemed so extensive. He wrote back the following: "I am writing in response
for your request for more information, in block #3 on the accident report I put I was
hurt because "I was trying to do the job alone." You wanted an explanation as to how
this caused my accident ... I hope the following will help explain the situation: I am a
bricklayer by trade, the date I was hurt I was working alone on the roof of a new 6
story building. When I completed my work I discovered that I had about 500 pounds
of brick left over to carry down. Rather than carry them by hand in several trips, I
decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley which fortunately was attached to
the side of the building at the 6th floor. Securing the rope at ground level I went up
to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded it with the 500 pounds of brick. Then I
went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to insure a slow
descent of the 500 pounds of bricks ... you will note in block #11 of the accident
report that my weight is 135 pounds. Due to my surprise at being jerked off the
ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope.
Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate up the side of the building. In the
vicinity of the 3rd floor I met the barrel coming down; this explains my fractured skull
and broken collarbone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not
stopping until the fingers of my right hand were knuckles deep into the pulley at the
top of the 6th floor. Fortunately, by this time I had regained my presence of mind and
was able to hold tightly to the rope in spite of my pain ... however at the same
moment the barrel which had hit the bottom with the bricks in it had the bottom
break out of it. Devoid of the bricks now the barrel then weighed only about 50
pounds. I again refer you to block #11 on the report that records my weight as 135
pounds. As you might have guessed, I began a rapid descent down the side of the
building still holding onto the rope. In the vicinity of the 3rd floor I again met the
barrel but this time it was coming up ... this accounts for the 2 fractured ankles and
the lacerations of my legs and lower body. The encounter with the barrel slowed me
enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of bricks and, fortunately, only 3
vertebrae were cracked when I landed on them. I am sorry, however, to report that
as I lay there on the bricks, in pain and unable to stand and looking at the empty
barrel 6 stories above me that I again lost my presences of mind, and I let go of the
rope I was holding still. The empty barrel weighed more than the rope so it came
down upon me and broke both my legs. I hope this information you asked for
explains how working alone caused so much extensive injuries. – Source Unknown
Page 4
B. God clearly tells Jacob of His intention to always be
with him throughout his entire lifetime:
Genesis 28:13 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you
go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done
what I have spoken to you.
C. This was not just a promise about property or land!
D. It was assurance that God would be with Jacob and his
children wherever they went!
E. In spite of all his failures and sins, God showed His love to
Jacob.
F. All Jacob had to do was trust God!
While Joseph was running from home, fleeing from his brother
who was trying to kill him and uncertain of the future – God shows
up at the Right Time with the Right Help!
3. When You Realize God Is With You The Best Thing To
Do Is Worship Him!
A. Jacob woke up both physically and spiritually.
Genesis 28:16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord
is in this place, and I did not know it."
B. Jacob makes the place a place of worship:
Genesis 28:17 And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is
none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!"
Page 5
C. The rock he slept on in fear now becomes a pillar of faith:
Genesis 28:18 & 19 Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone
that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it.
19
And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been
Luz previously.
 We need to destroy some of our fears with faith!
 We need to “anoint” them with the “Spirit” of God!
D. Jacob made a vow to serve God the rest of his life:
Genesis 28:20& 21 22 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me,
and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to
put on, 21 so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall
be my God.
E. Jacob also vowed to give a tenth to God:
Genesis 28:22 And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house,
and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You."
Conclusion:
 Jacob’s life was changed forever! He found transformation ...
a commitment to GOD, GOD'S HOUSE, and to GIVING!
 No longer is his relationship to God based on his grandfather
Abraham or his father Isaac ... it is something HE has now!
 While Jacob was facing the most difficult days of his life, God
revealed Himself to him.
 God can reveal Himself to you today.