Jan. 30
A HEAVENLY ESCORT
"And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places
whither thou goest." Gen. 28:15
Do we need journeying mercies? Here are choice ones -- God's
presence and preservation. In all places we need both of these, and in
all places we shall have them if we go at the call of duty, and not
merely according to our own fancy. Why should we look upon removal to
another country as a sorrowful necessity when it is laid upon us by
the divine will? In all lands the believer is equally a pilgrim and a
stranger; and yet in every region the Lord is His dwellingplace, even
as He has been to His saints in all generations. We may miss the
protection of an earthly monarch, but when God says, "I will keep
thee," we are in no real danger. This is a blessed passport for a
traveler, and a heavenly escort for an emigrant.
Jacob had never left his father's room before: he had been a
mother's boy, and not an adventurer like his brother. Yet he went
abroad, and God went with him. He had little luggage, and no
attendants; yet no prince ever journeyed with a nobler bodyguard. Even
while he slept in the open field, angels watched over him, and the
Lord God spoke to him. If the Lord bids us go, let us say with our
Lord Jesus, "Arise, let us go hence."