Level 1
Lesson 4: God Sees in the Dark

Jacob was going on a long journey. He was going to visit his uncle Laban who lived far away. He said goodbye to his father and mother. He took his little bundle of food and clothes. And he started on his way.

In those days there were no cars or automobiles. There were no trains in which to ride. Jacob had to walk. It would take many days to get to his Uncle Laban's. All morning he went on, tramp, tramp, tramp, over the dusty road. At noon he sat down by the roadside and ate his lunch. Then all afternoon he went on, tramp, tramp, tramp.

Jacob was getting farther and farther from home. He passed some people, but they were all strangers. He saw some homes but he did not know who lived in them. He thought about his own home,and his father and mother. Jacob felt very far away and very lonely.

It began to grow dark. Soon it was too dark to see the road. One by one the little stars came out in the sky. It was bedtime. There was no place for Jacob to sleep except there by the roadside under the stars.

Jacob looked around until he found a smooth flat stone. He put it down by the roadside for a pillow. He layed down and rested his head on the stone. Overhead he could see the little shining stars. But Jacob was lonely and afraid. Home seemed very far away in this strange place. His father and his mother seemed very far away. And because he felt so strange and lonely, even God, the heavenly Father, seemed to Jacob to be very far away.

At last Jacob fell asleep. As he slept he had a dream. He dreamed he saw steps like a great tall ladder reaching up towards the sky. Going up and down the steps were beautiful angels. Then Jacob heard a voice coming from the top of the steps. It was God's voice, and it was speaking to him. Jacob listened.

"I am with you!" God said to Jacob. "I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!"

And then Jacob woke up. "Surely God is in this place and I did not know it," he said.

And then Jacob knew that wherever he was, God was with him, watching over him and taking care of him. Even though he was far from home and in a strange place God was very near.