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Day 3
Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him; and when Jacob saw them he said, ‘This is God’s camp!’ --Genesis 32:1-2a He was simply moving on to the next task. Another day, another agenda. He and his family were leaving the in-laws' house to return home after having been gone for years. Jacob’s agenda that day was interior. Although anxious to leave the in-laws, Jacob was uneasy about arriving at the place from where he had come. He was strategizing for his return home because he had left on very bad terms with his brother. So bad, in fact, that Jacob’s mother had actually sent him away for fear that his brother would kill him. Years had passed, but had the ripples of rancor that ran so deeply been dried up? Was there possibility for reconciliation? Could any kind of relationship between them be restored? What did he need to do to assure his brother of his own honest desire to repair the breach between them? These were the reflections rolling around like tumbling glass marbles in Jacob’s mind. There in the midst of his ruminations, they met him – the journeying angels. Not just one angel – but a host of them. He saw them, though they spoke no words, and he named the place after them. They were there to give him courage and encouragement to continue the journey to its completion. There to give him strength and surety of God’s presence with him. There to give him assurance and affirmation that he was held in the hand of God. When we travel, in our minds or in our bodies, the journeying angels are nearby, ready to remind us that God is with us. Because they do not really need to say anything, we have to be prepared to see them rather than hear them. Are you poised to recognize the host of journeying angels when they make their silent presence known? O God, keep me from moving blindly through my life, unable to see what is beyond sight. These meditations first appeared at explorefaith.org Please use the share button at the top to share with friends and loved ones. Thanks!
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