Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”
Genesis 28:20-22
Jacob up to this point has pulled some major deception on his brother Esau. Jacob deceives his brother of his birthright (Genesis 25:29-34) and steals his blessing too (Genesis 27). No wonder Esau wanted to kill him and Jacob fled.
Jacob was in trouble and in the middle of nowhere. That is where God meets him in a dream. God gives the same promise to Jacob as he did to his grandfather Abraham and is father Isaac.
At this point, Jacob knows about the Lord but he does not know the Lord to as his God. He doesn’t know if he can trust the Lord. So Jacob makes a deal with the Lord in Genesis 28:20-22 where if God is able to provide for him everywhere he goes and that he is able to come back to this place, Jacob will believe and follow the Lord.
Even though the Lord is not his God right now, he believes enough to talk to God and make a vow to him. He doesn’t know if God will do all those things, but it’s the first step of faith.
It’s through these small acts of faith that adds to bigger faith. If you can’t trust someone with something small, are you going to trust them with something big?
I don’t know if the Lord is your God, but if not, start by putting a little bit of trust in Him. Jesus says, “He replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20) You will see that God is faithful and he will take care of you. Start trusting in God today.
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Hebrews 11:6