For Kids · 4 min with a grown-up
Jacob is running away, all alone, sleeping on the hard ground with a rock for a pillow. And that's exactly where God meets him with an amazing promise.
Today's Story
Jacob was on the run, far from home, all alone. As night fell in the wilderness, he found a place to sleep, put a stone under his head for a pillow, and lay down. He must have felt lonely and afraid.
And that night, Jacob had an incredible dream. He saw a stairway — a ladder — stretching all the way from the earth up to heaven, with angels of God going up and down it!
And at the very top stood God Himself. God spoke to Jacob: “I am with you. I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back home. I will never leave you until I have done everything I promised.”
Jacob woke up amazed. “God was in this place — and I didn't even know it!” Even here, in the middle of nowhere, running from his mistakes, God had found him and promised to be with him.
Jacob set up his stone pillow as a marker and named the place Bethel, which means “house of God.” And he promised to follow God.
Jacob didn't deserve it after all he had done. But God met him anyway, with kindness and a promise: “I am with you.”
A Big Word
Memory Verse
Talk About It
- Jacob felt alone and afraid, but God was right there. When have you felt alone? God was with you too.
- Jacob said, “God was in this place and I didn't even know it!” Where might God be near you that you haven't noticed?
- God promised to be with Jacob even though Jacob had done wrong. How does it feel that God stays with us even when we mess up?