Session 4

A Stairway

Genesis 28:10-22

Memory Verse: Genesis 28:14

God is actively involved in the lives of His people.

Prior to the session:

Display Pack Item 3 (Poster: The Patriarchs),
Pack Item 5 (Poster: Key Moments in Jacob’s Life) and
Pack Item 1 (Map: The Travels of Jacob).

ENGAGE

Introduce:

name a famous structure, and respond with the location.
(Possible examples:
Eiffel Tower/Paris; Pyramids/ Egypt; Statue of Liberty/New York; Alamo/San Antonio; Mt. Rushmore/South Dakota, and so forth)
include a place that you know is significant for the group.

Ask:

• What is one place that holds special significance for you?
• What makes that place so special?

Explain:

Point out that many places are important to us because of an experience we had there.
Point out that in today’s session Jacob found a significant place in his life
because that’s where he experienced God’s presence.

Read:

read the introduction on page 37 of the PSG.

In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom wrote of a strange vision she experienced
as the Germans invaded her homeland.
She saw a farm wagon pulled by horses lumbering across the city square of her hometown.
Corrie recognized her whole family sitting in that wagon, along with some strangers,
moving toward a place they didn’t want to go.
As she and her sister, Betsie, discussed the dream, Betsie reminded Corrie that God sometimes gives His people a glimpse of the future to reassure them that He is in control.

Lead a brief discussion on
things we enjoy because it lets us be involved in the life of someone we care about.

Ask:

• What would you include in a list of the ways God is actively involved in the lives of His children? (PSG,p. 37)

Transition:

In today’s verses, Jacob discovered God’s involvement in his life.
Challenge adults to consider how God is at work in their lives
as they study today’s verses.