11.17.2024 | Jacob Fled from Canaan
Genesis 28:10-22
The tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE. It stands 2,717 feet tall and has 163 floors above ground. Let’s say you were at the top of the building and the elevators weren’t working … you would have to walk down 2,909 stairs to make it to the ground! That’s got to be the world’s longest stairwell!
While he was sleeping, Jacob saw an even longer stairwell—stairs that went from earth to heaven. Jacob saw God’s angels going up and down the stairs, and he heard God repeat the promise He had made to Abraham and Isaac. Jacob was convinced that God would keep His promise.
Jacob’s vision shows us God’s desire to be with His children. While our sin breaks the relationship we are meant to have with God, God would send His only Son, Jesus, to earth. Jesus would willingly give His life on the cross so that anyone who believes in Him can have a loving relationship with God forever and ever.
In his dream, Jacob saw a stairway that went from earth to heaven. Jacob did not go up the stairway. God came down to talk to him. Jesus also came down from heaven to earth. Jesus made the way for people to come to God through His death and resurrection.
Memory Verse & Question
Family Prayer Time
Mornings
Ask God to make you aware of His presence today as you make choices, interact with friends, and seek to obey His Word. How does God’s nearness help us to face each day with confidence? How can we depend on Him for help in our daily needs?
Evenings
Praise God for sending Jesus to be Immanuel—God with us. Praise Jesus for humbling Himself and coming to live in live on earth with us. Most of all, thank Jesus for dying on the cross to save us from our sin.
Family Activities
For Fun
Challenge members to a stair race. See who can climb a set of stairs the fastest. You can make it more interesting by adding obstacles or doing it relay-style. As you rest after the activity, talk about Jacob’s dream and what it teaches us about God’s desire to be near us. Remind your kids that God sent Jesus from heaven to earth to save us from sin. Through faith in Jesus, one day we can be with God forever.
To Serve
Write the words or phrases of a Bible verse on separate sheets of paper. Place the sheets on the stairs in your home or along a path your family walks often. As you walk the stairs or path this week, practice memorizing the verse by saying the words in order. Make it more of a challenge by removing some of the sheets during the week but challenging kids still say those words of the verse!
