Gen 28.12. (Jacob) ..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.
As I looked out of my kitchen window this morning my usual delightful view was partly blocked by a scaffold tower. The tower was quickly constructed yesterday by two men, ready for the decorator to fix our guttering and paint our top windows. The back of our house is too high for a normal ladder. It started me thinking about the story of Jacob and his dream of a stairway reaching into heaven. I think it is a relevant picture for us. As New Testament believers, we have a connection with heaven wherever we are.
Jesus taught his disciples, and us, to pray: Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. I believe he was teaching us that we are connected to heaven, and able see his heavenly will and purposes come on the earth, as we pray and live out God focused lives. I feel very encouraged that I can be connected to heaven wherever I am. Whether that’s on my morning walk as I listen to the Bible being read to me through my ear phones, praying for someone to be healed from a foot ulcer, or working on my bikes at the front of my house, as many people stop and talk (with social distancing in place of course). In all these activities I am looking for that “heavenly connection”.
On Sunday Di and I were going for our walk next to the river, and I felt a little discouraged by all the things I wanted to do, but could not because of the lockdown. Into my mind came a little thought. “think of ten things that you really appreciate about your wife Diana during this time”. So over the next twenty minutes as we walked our river route I would tell Di what I appreciated about her. She was delighted. It made her feel loved and much appreciated. I was happy too. I got a big cup of tea and Marmite on toast on our return home. (I love Marmite). I think I had heard from heaven.
I believe God wants us to be regularly aware of the connection we have with heaven. When we are going through tough times, when we are queueing at the shop two metres apart, or when we are helping with the dishes. We now have an open heaven because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross. We can connect with heaven and hear what God has to say to us. We can ask him directly for things we need and speak the will of heaven into earthly situations. If we do that more, we might find ourselves saying like Jacob. Gen 28.16. …” surely the Lord is in this place and I wasn’t aware of It”.
