1 As Jacob travelled far along
the stony desert ways,
a passing vision made him strong
and turned his sleep into a song
and all his pain to praise.

2 And as he saw, that night alone,
a stairway to the sky
with angels moving up and down,
he heard the mighty voice of One
who stood supreme on high:

3 'I am your fathers' God, the Lord;
I bring your tribes to birth;
I am with you to guide and guard,
to see your family spread abroad,
a blessing for the earth.'

4 And by the grace of God we share
the way that Jacob went:
the Lord from heaven to earth comes near;
the upward path is now made clear
in Christ, our one Ascent.

5 So may my eyes and heart and mind
awake to see that grace,
those steps before me and behind,
as in the barren tracks I find
the Lord is in this place.

6 I carry with me all the way
the promise Christ has given;
and at each resting-place I stay
the guest of Jacob's God, and say
'This is the gate of heaven!'

Christopher Idle from Genesis 28
© Christopher Idle/Jubilate Hymns Ltd
8 6. 8 8 6 (6)

CCL# 3241844