Have you ever had a dream that was ruined by man



Have you ever had a dream that was ruined by man? Put away your anger and know this: The angry and deceitful can never thwart the plan of God because there’s a ladder between heaven and earth. You just need to grab a hold of that ladder and climb it. You’ll know victory. No one can ruin God’s plan for you because of that ladder between heaven and earth.

You know in studying Genesis with Kay that she has been playing off of a dream that Jacob had about himself and a ladder with the angels ascending and descending to and from God.

Psalm 76 has references to Judah, Israel, and that there is a God in Israel and a God of Israel.

Psalm 76:1-6 God is known in Judah; His name is great in Israel. And His tabernacle is in Salem (When we think of Salem we think of peace, of Jerusalem); His dwelling place also is in Zion. (There’s a heavenly Zion and an earthly Zion.) There He broke the flaming arrows, the shield, and the sword, and the weapons of war. Thou art resplendent, more majestic than the mountains of prey. The stout-hearted were plundered; they sank into sleep; And none of the warriors could use his hands. At Thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse were cast into a dead sleep.

Who was Jacob? He was the son of Abraham and Isaac. His name is going to be changed to Israel. We’ll see that next week. He is the father of 12 sons who make up the twelve tribes of Israel.

Psalm 76:6-10 At Thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse were cast into a dead sleep. Thou, even Thou, art to be feared; and who may stand in Thy presence when once Thou art angry? Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still, when God arose to judgment, to save all the humble of the earth. (All those who are brought low God moves and arises to save them.) For the wrath of man shall praise Thee; with a remnant of wrath Thou shalt gird Thyself.

Have you ever had a dream that seemed to be ruined by man, by the anger or wrath of man? You don’t have to fear. You can put away the fear that the angry and deceitful man can ruin your life because God takes even the wrath of man and works it according to His will.

Psalm 76:10-12 For the wrath of man shall praise Thee; with a remnant of wrath Thou shalt gird Thyself. Make vows to the LORD you God and fulfill them; Let all who are around Him bring gifts to Him who is to be feared. He will cut off the spirit of princes; He is feared by the kings of the earth.

There are three things to remember:

1. The Anger of Man Cannot Thwart the Plan of God.

Genesis 27 is near the end of the story of Isaac; it focuses on Jacob and Esau. The anger of man can wreak havoc in a person’s life and bring great consequences—know that—but it cannot stop the plan of God. The wrath of man can be turned to bring about the will of God.

Genesis 27:41 So Esau bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him (Jacob); and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; (Isaac is soon going to die.) then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

Esau wants to kill Jacob, is angry at him. Will he succeed? Will this little puny man down here on the face of the earth thwart the plan of God? No. In Genesis 25:23+ we have an account of the birth of Jacob and Esau. Before that is the conception of those two boys who were conceived and became twins in the womb of Rebekah.

Genesis 25:22-23 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why then am I this way?” So she went to inquire of the LORD. And the LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb; and two peoples shall be separated from your body; and one people shall be stronger than the other; and the older shall serve the younger.

This is a plan that God has for man and for a nation. This little puny Esau, who thinks he’s going to thwart God’s plan by putting to death Jacob by whom is going to come this nation, is raising his fist in vain in the face of a sovereign, omnipotent God. It will not happen because the anger of man cannot thwart the plan of God. We need to remember this because we are living in a generation of angry people. People in Mexico will literally get out of the car with jammed traffic, pull out a gun and shoot the drivers. The anger of man. Diane Vereen was asking Kay to please pray because one of her son’s co-laborers, an insurance man, was sitting innocently in the office of a lawyer when a 71-year-old man came in, took out a gun, shot the lawyer and killed him. He turned around, shot Sean’s friend and killed him, too. Are we going to live in fear the rest of our lives because of that? It’s wise to be sensible but if we are going to retain our sobriety of mind, if we are not going to fall apart at the seams, we have to know and understand that God is sovereign. He is watching over us. His purpose and plan will not be thwarted by the anger, meanness, caprice, insanity of man. God is in charge. What is going to come out of that? Kay doesn’t have the slightest idea but she doesn’t find herself in torment, anguish, or fear, retreating from life, because she knows her God. She knows that, although she doesn’t know God’s plan, it will not be thwarted.

Cross-reference with Romans 9. Paul is talking about the grief he has in his heart because his brethren the Jews do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

Romans 9:4-6 …who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;

Has the Word of God failed because all Israel was not saved or believes in the Lord Jesus Christ? No. The Word of God never fails. You can know it, mark it, remember it in the days ahead.

Romans 9:6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;

Why? Abraham had two sons: Ishmael and Isaac. The promise did not come through Ishmael but Isaac. Isaac had two sons: Esau and Jacob. The promise did not come through the firstborn, Esau, but through Jacob. God has a plan. Everybody then who comes from Israel is not necessarily descended from Israel—through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Romans 9:7-13 Nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: “Through Isaac your descendants will be named.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.” And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

Is it saying that God hates Esau? No, only comparatively. Even as God says:

Luke 14:26 If anyone come to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.

“If any man is going to come after Me then he must love Me more than his family.” All other love, if you do not hate your father or mother or sister or brother, is less. Is He saying we are to hate? No, it’s against God’s commandment. Instead He’s saying it’s relative. Every other love must seem as hatred in comparison to our love for God. In Genesis God is saying He chose Jacob. Now Jacob is being threatened by Esau who is planning to kill him. Will Esau be able to kill him? No because there are two nations there, not just two boys in the womb. Those two nations must come forth: the nation of Edom and the nation of Israel.

We saw Jacob and Esau’s birth in chapter 25. In Genesis 25:27-34 we see their birthright and God’s plan being executed with it. Jacob is a deceiver and conniver but for all of this, despite that outward not-so-hot personality or character, inside there is a desire for the blessing. There is a respect for the things that the birthright brings. Did he really steal the birthright? Esau says, “He stole my birthright.” No, Esau despised his birthright so sold it to Jacob for a mess a pottage—a little bit of red lentil stew. The anger of man cannot thwart the plan of God.

Genesis 27 tells about the blessing stolen by Jacob by deceit. Yet there is an action going on in heaven. God is working even through this to bring about what He wants and that is for Jacob to have Esau’s blessing. Why? He chose Jacob, he didn’t choose Esau. He loved Jacob but didn’t have that same love and plan for Esau. You say, “That’s wrong. It’s prejudice.” That’s God. You can raise your puny little fist in the face of God and tell Him it’s wrong or you can bow the knee and say, “God, that’s what You said. I do not understand all about you. Your ways are not my ways, your thoughts are not my thoughts but God You are God. This is what I know about You: The anger of man cannot thwart Your plans.” Esau wants to kill Jacob but he can’t since it’s not God’s plan.

2. The Ladder of God Reaches the House of God.

In Genesis 28, Jacob leaves to go to Laban, Rebekah’s family. He goes to get a wife because Rebekah wants to get him out of the way of Esau who wants to kill him. As he’s traveling:

Genesis 28:10 Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran.

Haran is north. It’s where Abraham came after he left Ur of the Chaldees but ended up leaving to come down to the land of Canaan which God was going to give him.

Genesis 28:11-12a And he came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. And he had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven;

In that dream who sets the ladder on earth? It is God.

Genesis 28:12b-13 And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.”

“This is your land. I am God. I created the world and brought it into existence and I am going to give you this land. I’m going to give it to your descendants. I’m God and My plan will not be thwarted. I’m God and I have just connected heaven and earth.

Genesis 28:14 “Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”

Does that sound like anything you’ve heard before? Yes, that sounds like what God promised Abraham: “I will give you a land. I will give you descendants. I will make you a blessing and in you all the nations of the earth will be blessed.”

Genesis 28:15 “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

“My plan will not be thwarted. I am God.” The anger of man cannot thwart the plan of God. The deception of man cannot halt God’s plan. Remember that because we live in a day and age when people are coming against us.

Kay has dear friends in Florida against whom a court case is coming. It’s a sham. It’s taking all their savings. It’s insane because they’re such moral and upright people. There’s nothing wrong with them. They’ve walked with the Lord but now this is coming. This friend of Kay’s lives on a dialysis machine several times a week. It’s like one thing after another coming on them. But the anger and deceitfulness of man, the schemes of the devil, his plans cannot thwart the plan of God. The reason it can’t is that there’s a ladder between heaven and earth that we can hang onto and climb to take us out of the morass of mud and muck of all that man would do to us. It connects us from earth to heaven. Who’s standing at the top? The angels are going up and down but the Lord’s at the top of the ladder and He’s speaking:

Genesis 28:15 “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

“I’m God. Do you hear Me? Look up this ladder and see. Listen to Me. I’m in heaven but I’m not a God disconnected from what goes on here on earth. I know what’s going on.” Remember, God will eventually wrestle with Jacob who is at the bottom of the ladder. The Lord is at the top.

Genesis 32:24 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.

He is going to prevail in this man’s life.

Genesis 32:28 And he said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.”

He’ll prevail because of a ladder between heaven and earth that reaches to the house of God.

Genesis 28:16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”

Wherever you are, whatever the difficulty of the situation, you can know this: Because there’s a ladder between heaven and earth the Lord is in this place. You may not know it or recognize it or feel it or sense it but it [He?] is there.

Hebrews 13:5b-6 “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we may confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”

Genesis 28:17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

Here Jacob is in Luz but it will be changed to Beth-El: the House of God. This is the gate of heaven. The ladder of God reaches the house of God. In Genesis we see the ladder with the angels ascending and descending. The Lord is at the top of the ladder. In John 1 Jesus calls His disciples at the beginning of His ministry. In verse 51, Jesus talks to Nathanael whom He spotted beneath a tree.

John 1:49-51 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

In Genesis the Lord is at the top of the ladder. In John He’s at the foot. The angels are ascending and descending because the one who is the Son of God and sits at God’s right hand, the second person of the Trinity, who was there when God spoke to bring man into existence, who is the Word, who was in the beginning and is with God and is God, comes down and becomes flesh. Here He is and the angels of God are ascending and descending. Here in heaven is the heavenly Zion. Here on earth is the earthly Zion. There is a connection between the two which is made when God Himself takes on flesh and blood. There’s a ladder. Do you know what that is? It’s a picture of us connected to heaven through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans presents the gospel of Jesus Christ, spelling it out in great detail. It shows how the gospel pertains to both the Gentile and the Jew. In Romans 10 Paul is burdened because his people have a zeal for God but not in accordance with knowledge.

Romans 10:3-6 For not knowing about God’s righteousness (the Jews) and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. (This is the same segment of Romans as chapter 9.) For Christ is the end of the law of righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: (Quoting Deuteronomy 30) “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend to heaven?’” (That is, to bring Christ down.) Who can do that?

Don’t say in your heart that He’s so far off we can’t go to heaven to bring Him down.

Romans 10:7-9 Or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (To do what?) (that is, to bring Christ, (Jesus Christ the Messiah) up from the dead.)” (Who can go up to heaven to bring Him down? Who can reach down into hell and pull Him up?) But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

God brought Him down from heaven. God brought Him up from hell. You don’t have to bring Him down or up. It is done. He is God. God’s plan will not be thwarted. When the anger of man slew the Son of God, and nailed Him to Calvary’s tree it was not man who put Him there; it was God that allowed it. The anger of man would not thwart the plan of God.

Romans 10:11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

We can know that as Jacob had a ladder, we have a ladder that connects us from earth to heaven. Who is that ladder? It’s not the one whom man brought down but the one God brought down. It’s not that we have to bring Him up, but God brought Him up. The ladder between heaven and earth is Jesus Christ. He is the only way to God. The ladder, Jesus Christ, is the way that we are blessed with every spiritual blessing.

Ephesians 1:3 [v] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

He’s the connection between heaven and earth. It’s that cross; it’s Jesus who has been crucified, buried, and resurrected. You can remember this: God will not be thwarted; God’s plan will not be thwarted by the anger of man because there’s a connection between heaven and earth which is the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore you can know this: Whatever God plans will come to pass—but it will be in His time and in His way. You have seen that with Abraham and Sarah waiting for a son, Isaac and Rebekah waiting for a son, and finally in the birth of Jacob who is going to father the twelve children. You’re not alone and you’re not without help.

You can see this in Genesis 29 where two women are married by Jacob. One Jacob doesn’t want. After waiting seven years working for Rachel and who does he get? Leah. He wakes up and there is Leah. His heart is crushed because this is not the woman he gave himself for, for seven years of labor under Laban. But Laban has deceived him. The deceiver has been deceived. But will God’s plan be thwarted? No. Leah is unloved and unwanted. Jacob completes his week with her then the next week he’s in bed with Rachel, her sister, the lovely one, the beautiful one. Leah’s hurt and crying. In those days the fulfillment of a woman is children so she cries to God.

Genesis 29:31-32 Now the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben, for she said, “Because the LORD has seen my affliction.”

Every time Leah has a child she mentions the Lord and names that child according to what the Lord has done on her behalf. She gives birth to Judah, from whom will come the Christ. He comes through Jacob and Leah not through Rachel.

Genesis 29:35 And she conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

Even the unloved had her children because God’s plan will not be thwarted and because there is a God you can cry to. Rachel is the barren one who is frustrated. She is jealous of her sister so she looks to her husband and cries, “Give me children or else I’m going to die.” Jacob looks at her in anger (it’s a real family feud in that tent) and says:

Genesis 30:1-2 [v] Am I in the place of God? Have I withheld from you the fruit of the womb?

Genesis 30:22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb.

Leah the unloved bears children. Rachel the loved but barren conceives because God is God. We have access to God. They went to God and cried to Him and He heard. He answered. God’s plan will not be thwarted even by the impotence of man or the science of an egg and a sperm meeting one another. When God is ready He opens the womb.

3. The Purpose of God Brings the Protection of God.

If God has a plan and a purpose for you then nothing on heaven and earth is going to stop Him. Even if you decide to get rebellious toward God, He knows how to deal with you. It’s better not to get rebellious with Him because He knows how to deal with you. He’s going to bring about His will, His purpose, because He’s God.

The purpose of God brings the protection of God. God has a plan for you. If God tells you to go somewhere, nothing can stop you. If God tells you to do something when you get there nothing can hinder you. The whole city may rise up against you telling you, “No, you can’t do this,” but if God says you can do it then you can do it because the purpose of God brings the protection of God.

Genesis 31:13 ‘I am the God of Bethel, where you (Jacob) anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to Me; now arise, leave this land, and return to the land of your birth.’

Jacob has now been serving for 20-some years. He’s been in a far away country but God has a plan for him. God gave him land and promised him descendants. God promised He would not leave him until He blessed him. When God made that promise to him Jacob was very noble.

Genesis 28:19a He (Jacob) called the name of that place Bethel.

What happens at Bethel? A ladder. So Bethel is the ladder. “Bethel” means “the House of God”. This is what Jacob named the place.

Genesis 28:20-21 Then Jacob made a vow saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the LORD will be my God.”

So Jacob is saying, “If God will move on my behalf then the Lord will be my God.” What has God just told him at the top of that ladder? “I’m going to move on your behalf.” Little ol’ Jacob down below responds, “If you will, then you can be my God.” Oh, He’s going to be his God.

Genesis 28:22 “This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that Thou dost give me I will surely give a tenth to Thee.”

Isn’t that wonderful? “You give to me and I’ll give a tenth back.” Does God give to him? Yes. As we see this unfold we see that God has a purpose and brings His protection. He directs and He provides. How? When Jacob leaves Padan-Haran where he’s been for twenty years laboring and fighting a deceptive father-in-law it’s because God has told him, “It’s time to leave.” It’s not: “Okay God I’m ready to leave.” It’s God saying, “I’m ready to have you leave.” Jacob gathers his two wives and talks to them about what’s going on.

Genesis 31:1 Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what belonged to our father he has made all this wealth.”

All of a sudden Jacob has all this wealth. How? Whenever the goats mated Jacob got all the speckled, spotted and black goats and lambs because they were easy to recognize. They really reproduced so his wealth increased. Laban promised him that Jacob could have anything that was speckled, spotted or black. This way Jacob could pick out his herds easily. He had gotten all this wealth and Laban’s sons were jealous. They said, “Look, he has taken our father for a ride. He’s stealing our father’s wealth.”

Genesis 31:2 And Jacob saw the attitude of Laban, and behold, it was not friendly toward him as formerly.

Remember that Laban is the father of Leah and Rachel, Jacob’s wives. He gave Leah and Rachel two handmaids. These four women really belonged to Laban because in those days women belonged to the father. Those four women have produced for Jacob twelve sons. Now here is this whole family that Laban considers to be his.

Genesis 31:3-5 Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.” So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to his flock in the field, and said to them, “I see your father’s attitude that it is not friendly toward me as formerly, but the God of my father has been with me.”

The purpose of God brings the protection of God. He has a purpose for Jacob. He will be given land and his descendants will be the way that the earth is going to be blessed. Through Jacob and his seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed. God has promised this to him so no one can thwart it. God has been with him. Watch how many times you see God being with him:

Genesis 31:5b-7 “…But the God of my father has been with me. And you know that I have served your father will all my strength. Yet your (Jacob’s wives Leah and Rachel) father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times; however, God did not allow him to hurt me.”

Laban schemed, connived, changed Jacob’s wages ten times. This deceitful Laban, just like a deceitful Jacob, got the top hand. Yet, where was God? There is a ladder between heaven and earth. At the top of that ladder is God who said, “I will bless you. I will fulfill everything I have promised you.”

Genesis 31:8 “If he spoke thus, ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flock brought forth speckled. If he spoke thus, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock brought forth striped.”

What is happening? Go back to chapter 30 to see all of this played out. Laban had said, “You can have all the speckled, spotted and black.” So he watched and saw that if they had rods that were stripped these would mate together and the little kids of the goats would come out speckled and spotted and the lambs would come out black. How does that happen? Who knows, but there’s a God at the top of the ladder. He rules over all. He’s sovereign. The anger of man cannot thwart the plan of God. The purpose of God is covered by the protection of God. And there’s a God in heaven and there’s a ladder. So prosperity comes to Jacob.

Genesis 30:30 “For you had little before I came, and it has increased to a multitude; and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned…”

Jacob is talking to Laban. He says, “You know, you had very little before I came. I saw your herds and your flocks. But the Lord has blessed you wherever I’ve turned. Because I’ve been here the Lord has blessed you.”

Genesis 31:11-13 “Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’ And he said, ‘Lift up, now, your eyes and see that all the male goats which are mating are striped, speckled, and mottled; for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to Me; now arise, and leave this land, and return to the land of your birth.’”

God directs and provides. You can have the protection of God because He has a purpose for you. Whatever it takes to achieve that purpose you can know that God’s protection is there.

Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your needs (How?) according to His riches in glory (How?) in Christ Jesus.

There’s a connection between you and heaven and earth.

Jacob is getting ready to leave and Laban is unhappy with him but you see God protecting Jacob again. He does it in a dream that He gives Laban.

Genesis 31:22-25a When it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled (Jacob just left with his whole household.) then he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him a distance of seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the hill country of Gilead. God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night and said to him, “Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.” Laban caught up with Jacob.

Genesis 31:26-29 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword? Why did you flee secretly and deceive me, and did not tell me so that I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with timbrel and with lyre; and did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to speak either good or bad to Jacob.’”

The purpose of God brings the protection of God.

When Kay gets on planes in the midst of storms, headed someplace, she rests because she knows she will get there if it is the purpose of God. If it’s not the purpose of God that she gets there but it’s the plan of God that she goes to see Him, she knows she can make it because there is a ladder from heaven to earth. That ladder is Jesus Christ who left heaven, came down here, redeemed Kay, and He is her access to God the Father. So if she lives, praise the Lord. If she dies, praise the Lord. If she lives or dies her only cry will be, “Jesus and me, praise the Lord.” Because she knows that whatever man decides to do against her, the anger of man can never thwart the plan of God.

There’s a cemetery next to Brainerd Village and David Brainerd is buried there. There is a Brainerd Road named after David Brainerd, a missionary who fought and battled depression; who would go into the dark night of the soul. He left all to come to the Indians to bring them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He walked in the will and plan and purpose of God. He knew the Lord Jesus Christ. One day the enemy, the Indians, came. They were going to kill him and had come to slaughter him but he didn’t know it. He was on his knees in the snow praying fervently for the souls of those Indians, crying out to God so much that the heat of his body melted the snow around him. God had a purpose to bring those men the Gospel. Those men had come to kill him. Later on after they came to know the Lord Jesus Christ he heard the story. They said, “We came to kill you and saw you bent over in the snow. We could have shot you so easily with our bows and arrows but there was a whole host of people in white like warriors all around you. We were afraid so we ran away.” These were the angels of God ascending and descending, protecting and preserving David Brainerd. He died at a young age but not until God’s purpose for him was finished.

God watches over His people. The purpose of God brings the protection of God. You see a man, Laban, out to get Jacob but stopping to make a covenant with him instead. (Genesis 31:33-34) God is God. He will protect us and we can trust Him.

Genesis 31:29 “It is in my power to do you harm, (Laban said) but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to speak either good or bad to Jacob.’”

Nothing could thwart or stop God. In your own life you can know this: The same God that stood at the top of that ladder in the days of Jacob is your God. The same one who stood on the banks of the Jordan and on the shore of the Galilee and said, “You think this is amazing? Wait until you see the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” That God is your God. That God has taken us and connected us forever and ever to the house of God so you can know that God will protect you and watch over you. He’s the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He’s the God who even makes the wrath of man to do His will. Nothing can thwart God. “I am God. As I have purposed, so it shall come to pass. What I have planned,” He says in Isaiah, “no man can thwart.” This is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Next week we will look at the future of Jacob and Esau. You’ll see that this is a sure word of prophecy that you do well to heed. It’s a light shining in a dark place and you can trust it.

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