Devotional

After so much running and wrestling, God calls Jacob to return to Bethel, the place where He first appeared to him in a dream. There, Jacob builds an altar and buries idols. It’s a moment of renewal. Yet even in this holy return, sorrow marks the journey. Rachel dies in childbirth. Isaac passes away. And in the next chapter, we meet Joseph, his father’s beloved, betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery.

This portion of Scripture reminds us that God’s story does not skip over pain. It weaves His promises through it. Even when families fracture, even when grief and betrayal leave deep wounds, God is still guiding the narrative. What feels like the end is often only the start of a new beginning. Brokenness does not stop God’s work. It becomes the soil for new beauty.