Heaven Open

by Heather Tietz

He dreamed. Behold, a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your offspring. Your offspring will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your offspring, all the families of the earth will be blessed.“

Genesis 28:12-14

Heaven touching Earth, what a beautiful image! The pristine beside dirty, desert ground. Almighty God near simple man. All the riches of Heaven and Earth for God’s pleasure, yet, He reaches down to convene with humans. He opens the Heavens to pour out blessings on the undeserving, on the unsuspecting.

Jacob didn’t merit God’s goodness. He had in fact freshly pulled off the lie of a lifetime, impersonating his brother to deceive his blind father. He was on the run, guilty and tired.

But, God knew, in spite of Jacob’s sin, God chose him. God wanted him. Abraham, Isaac, and now Jacob, the next piece in the path of blessing for all humanity. Sinner Jacob, an integral part in showing God’s mercy, God’s love for the world.

Perhaps if we could peel back the layers of our physical word, we’d realize how close God is - watching us hide, understanding our guilt, seeing our exhaustion. And, though all the beauty of Heaven is God’s, He still reaches down to us. He opens Heaven for us. He offers forgiveness, all the keys to a life abundant, blessings for today, and Heaven for forevermore.