Genesis 28:16-22: a reflection

16Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I didn’t know it.” 17He was afraid, and said, “How awesome this place is! This is none other than God’s house, and this is the gate of heaven.” 18Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on its top. 19He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20Jacob vowed a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothing to put on, 21so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, and the LORD will be my God, 22then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, will be God’s house. Of all that you will give me I will surely give a tenth to you.”

After Jacob dreams of a ladder reaching to heaven, he wakes with a startled realization: God had been present in that very place all along, and he had not known it. Surely the LORD is in this place, Jacob says, and I didn't know it. He was afraid, and said, How awesome this place is! This is none other than God's house, and this is the gate of heaven. Jacob had thought it an ordinary place, a spot to sleep for the night; but God was there, and Jacob had not perceived it until God opened his eyes. The Lord was present in a place Jacob had thought unremarkable, nearer than Jacob knew. God is often present where we do not recognize him, in places and moments we think ordinary, nearer than we realize until our eyes are opened to see it.

Notice Jacob's realization: the LORD was in this place, and I did not know it. God had been present all along in a place Jacob thought ordinary; Jacob simply had not perceived it. It took the dream to open his eyes to a presence that had been there all the while. This is often our situation: God is present in places and moments we think unremarkable, nearer than we know, and we do not perceive it. The place was not ordinary after all; it was the house of God, the gate of heaven, and Jacob had been sleeping in it unaware. God's presence is not confined to the places we expect; he is often near where we least look for him, in the ordinary spots and moments of our lives, though we do not recognize him until our eyes are opened. The Lord is in this place, whether or not we have known it.

That is worth taking to heart, for God is present even where we do not recognize him, nearer than we realize. We can go through ordinary places and moments assuming God is absent or far off, not perceiving that he is present, as Jacob slept in God's house without knowing it; but the Lord is often in the very place we think ordinary, nearer than we realize. Our eyes may simply not be open to see him. Do not assume God is absent from the ordinary places and moments of your life; he may be present there, nearer than you know, as he was in the place Jacob thought unremarkable. Live aware that God may be present even where you do not recognize him, nearer than you realize, as Jacob awoke to say, surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it; for God's presence is not confined to the places we expect but often meets us in the ordinary spots and moments we pass through unaware, and he is nearer than we know, waiting for our eyes to be opened to see that he is here.

Lord, after Jacob dreams of a ladder reaching to heaven, he wakes with a startled realization: you had been present in that very place all along, and he had not known it. Surely the LORD is in this place, Jacob says, and I didn't know it. He was afraid, and said, How awesome this place is! This is none other than God's house, and this is the gate of heaven. Jacob had thought it an ordinary place, a spot to sleep for the night; but you were there, and Jacob had not perceived it until you opened his eyes. You were present in a place Jacob had thought unremarkable, nearer than Jacob knew. Show me Jacob's realization: the LORD was in this place, and I did not know it. You had been present all along in a place Jacob thought ordinary; Jacob simply had not perceived it. It took the dream to open his eyes to a presence that had been there all the while. This is often my situation: you are present in places and moments I think unremarkable, nearer than I know, and I do not perceive it. The place was not ordinary after all; it was your house, the gate of heaven. Your presence is not confined to the places I expect. Take that to my heart, for you are present even where I do not recognize you, nearer than I realize. I can go through ordinary places and moments assuming you are absent or far off, not perceiving that you are present, as Jacob slept in your house without knowing it; but you are often in the very place I think ordinary. My eyes may simply not be open to see you. Keep me from assuming you are absent from the ordinary places and moments of my life; help me live aware that you may be present even where I do not recognize you, Lord, nearer than I know, as Jacob awoke to say, surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.