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Leaning on your own staff
The Bible says, ‘Jacob, when he was dying…worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff.’ Imagine that each time Jacob had an experience with God, he took a knife and cut a mark into his staff as a reminder of what happened, starting at the bottom and working right up to the top. One mark might symbolise the night he wrestled with God and his name was changed to Israel (see Genesis 32:28). Another might represent the night God showed him a vision of a ladder reaching up to heaven with angels on it. Jacob’s staff represented a lifetime of experiences with God. So it’s not surprising that as he was dying, he worshipped God while leaning on his staff.
Now think about the story of the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4. Her son suddenly became ill and died, so Elisha sent his servant Gehazi ahead with his staff to let the woman know he was coming. But when Gehazi placed the prophet’s staff on the dead boy, nothing happened. It was only when Elisha arrived that the child was restored (see 2 Kings 4:32-35).
The truth is, you can’t lean on anyone’s 'staff' but your own. You can’t stand on anyone else’s experience with God but your own. When it’s time to face challenges, you can only lean on the faith you've developed during your personal journey with God. That’s why it’s so important for us to be faithful and consistent in our spiritual journeys. By leaning on his staff when he was dying, Jacob declared, ‘My God who preserved, protected, and prospered me up till now will take me the rest of the way.’ And when we lean on our faith in God, we can be certain He'll be with us for the whole journey.
What Now?
Get a piece of wood or paper, and make a mark on it for every God experience you can remember having. Keep it and make a new mark each time you have a new experience with Him, as a reminder of your faith journey.
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