Beneath the Starry Night: A 7-Day Advent Journey Through Scriptureنموونە

Day 3: The Night Heaven Touches Earth

"Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: '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.'" — (Genesis 28:11b–13 NIV)

As the sun sets behind him, Jacob leaves his past in the fading light and lies down beneath the expanse of heaven. The man who once grasped for blessing now grasps a stone for his pillow, embracing discomfort as his resting place. And it is here, in this posture of surrender, that the Lord opens heaven and connects His promise to earth.

When Jacob awakens in awe, he declares, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it” (Genesis 28:16 NIV). The stone that had been his pillow now becomes his pillar—the very hard thing transformed by God into a holy marker. What once symbolized his struggle is set upright as a stake, claiming this ground for the dwelling place of God (Genesis 28:17).

No longer must we build towers in our own strength to reach heaven (Genesis 11:4), for Jesus has brought the presence of heaven to us. Some biblical scholars see Jacob’s stone as a foreshadowing of Christ—the Cornerstone, the one through whom God bridges heaven and earth (John 1:51). “Now to you who believe, this stone is precious” (1 Peter 2:7 NIV). “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5 NIV).

Upon this sure foundation, each of us is called to build our lives on Christ, bringing the presence of heaven into the world in our own hearts and actions. As we do so, together we become a spiritual house, a living expression of God’s Kingdom, proclaiming, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15 ESV).

— Are you building any towers trying to reach heaven?
— What hard places could become holy ground for heaven to touch?
— How might God use you as a living stone to build His Kingdom here on earth?

Scripture Breath Prayer:

Inhale: Building upon You
Exhale: I lay it down