I know, there is no way this looks real. It truly is, really. This geological formation in Israel is real. This is beautiful, just like the stones that God gives us for provision. Jacob found a stone to lay his head because the sun had gone down during a journey. The stone did not appear much in the way of provision until he fell asleep and saw the stairway to heaven.
Not everything is what it appears. This is a geological formation (mushroom) in Nature Timna park that is located 25 km north of Eilat (Israel) and combines beautiful scenery with unique geology. Check it out at Timna Park. Isreal has some of the most unusual treasures in life.
Provision of Stones
Jacob received his blessing from his father, Issac, in part, “May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples.” Genesis 28:3 NIV
Off Jacob goes to live this out. Night falls, he loses light in the sky to guide him. He finds a stone to lay his head for the night.
What an odd provision, a stone. God did not give him a light to see by. No shelter for refuge. No fancy dinner to fill his belly. And there was not one complaint. Jacob was on a mission, blessed by his father and God providing every step of the way.
Jacob simply took a stone for his head, laid down and went to sleep. Sometimes all we are given is a stone and all we do is grumble. When grumbling is not enough we tend to find a way to get a goose down pillow for our precious heads so we are in perfect comfort.
With this hard, cold, uncomfortable stone under Jacob’s head, he falls into a deep sleep. He dreams about a stairway to heaven with angels of God ascending and descending on it. It takes a deep sleep, usually the fourth stage of sleep known as rapid eye movement (REM) to have these kinds of dreams. Jacob was able to truly rest his head on this stone and fall this deeply into sleep. That is provision!
Now comes the amazing part, God spoke to Jacob in this dream. “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:13 NIV
Accepting the stone as a pillow, Jacob trusted God. God promises many things; He will not leave Jacob but watch over him and promising to keep his promises. Can you even imagine a promise of someone at your side until the task is complete?
My thoughts leap to picturing God at our side while we walk through the journey of chronic illness. There are many stones we have to endure while on this journey. Yet the thought of all of God’s promises and His unending provisions that come in the form of stones provide more comfort than goose down pillows.
Some journeys are for a night and some are for a season. Chronic illness can be only a season. Usually, it is a season to stop us in our tracks, realign us, set our head and heart straight and feel the mighty provisions of God. We learn things we would never dream of on our own.
As we accept provisions from God there will be other stones hurled our way, not from Him. Stick them in the trash can, that simple. Don’t dwell or blame. Accept any responsibility that is ours. Asking for forgiveness or praying for someone we may have hurt can be a way to move through it. Then move on with greater wisdom from the experience.
What provisions do you see and feel from God while you are walking through chronic illness?
Maribeth Baxter, MBEC
Donations accepted to serve others on their chronic illness journey. Maribeth Baxter, HHC provides voluntary certified health coaching services to the financially limited during their time of crisis.