Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”—Genesis 28:16-17
Today’s reading from Genesis was a good reminder for me and an encouragement to my heart, especially as our country seems to be entering uncharted territory and facing much political and civil unrest.
Here, for the very first time, God reveals Himself to Jacob and reaffirms with Jacob His covenant with Abraham.
Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.—Genesis 28:10-14
I loved Jacob’s response upon awakening.
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”—Genesis 28:16-17
God is with us wherever we go. He is intimately involved in the lives of each of His children and in the affairs of this earth, especially as they relate to His divine promises. AND all of His promises are yes and amen in His Son.
Beloved, God is our dwelling place. He is our strong habitation to which we may continually resort. In Him...in Christ...we live and move and have our being. No matter where we find ourselves in this world or whatever we might be facing, we can be confident that our God will be with us, will care for us and will bring us safely home when our time on earth is done. Each of us can awake each morning and say with Jacob:
Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”
