Jacob saw the expression on Laban's face, and, behold, it was not toward him as before. Yahweh said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers, and to your relatives, and I will be with you." Genesis 31:2–3 WEB.

Things were beginning to be difficult for Jacob at his workplace. The Lord had certainly put him there in the beginning, and Jacob had prospered and became wealthy. At the start, his father-in-law Laban had always treated him with favor. Now there was strife, distrust, and a growing distance between them.

It was well-founded, for Laban had changed Jacob's wages ten times (Genesis 31:7). Yet, each time Laban tried to pay Jacob less, God would reverse the expected outcome, and Jacob would grow even wealthier. Finally, the day came when the Lord told Jacob, "Return home, and I will be with you."

I have been in a workplace where I knew without a shadow of a doubt that God had put me there. At first, it was very easy and graceful, but eventually, the grace lifted, and it became difficult. There was a growing distrust, and each change that came was always for the worse for me. In time, the Lord told me to leave through a series of seven dreams, even though, at the time, I had nowhere else to go. It took a leap of faith, but the Lord didn't open the next door for me until I left that one. This I have learned:

"When the grace is gone, it's time to move on."

Sometimes when it becomes time to move, God will allow things to become increasingly difficult, and then a door opens where we should go. It can all flow so naturally, but it's God behind the scenes moving people to where they need to be. Yet not every difficult situation is to be left, for some of the worst I've had to endure. So don't forget to pray for direction.

There were three points in this story: 1) Jacob had gotten uncomfortable. 2) He was able to leave. 3) He felt that he heard the Lord say go.

Anytime you have to make a big decision, pray, and listen for the Lord's voice. Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice." So ask the Lord to make it an easy decision for you and to close the doors that you should stay out of. Change brings new and exciting things and is necessary for us to move forward. For if you don't change direction, you will end up exactly where you are headed. So be sure it's where you want to go.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for all You have done for me. I want You to be a part of my life and to guide me. Please speak to me in a way that I understand and give me direction. Help me make Godly decisions today. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: For those interested, we will be celebrating today at our Wednesday morning prayer service at the usual time of 10:30am EST! This is a short service, about 15-20 minutes, where we pray together for any needs you bring forth. Hope to see y'all there! As always, if you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network.