Does your God travel? I heard Roy Fish describe the God of the Bible in this way, “Our God travels. He goes before you. You can never leave him behind.” Do you agree?
When Jacob set out to go home, he put his wives and kids on camels and moved out. But before they left Rachel stole her father’s household gods. Why would she do that? Were they reminders of home? So often in the ancient world different deities were associated with geographic regions. The Philistines worshiped the fish-faced god Dagon. The Moabites worshiped Molech with child-sacrifices. Every little region had a “district-deity” or “local lord.” Rachel took her dad’s idols with her as they left.
When Laban found out, he set out in pursuit of Jacob, his daughters, and his grandchildren. But along the way, the God who travels came to him and told him to be very careful what he said to Jacob. Laban went looking for his own gods. But Jacob’s God was Lord of the whole earth, and he appeared to Laban.
My family moved back to Germany when I was in seventh grade. In Washington D. C. we had been nurtured in a good church. The first morning I awakened in Gross Gerau, Germany, I went out for a walk, past the Wurst stand, the bakery, and the butcher. Just up the street was an old church. There was a cemetery and a park next to it. Walking through this new town I realized, “God is here.” If we are going to serve a deity, we should choose one that goes before us everywhere we go. Or should I say, he has already chosen us? Look for him, everywhere you go today. He goes before you. You will find him when you look for him.
