At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he
said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your
father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to
you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of
the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to
the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed
through you and your descendants. What’s more, I am with you, and I will
protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will
not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the
Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” But he was also afraid and said, “What an
awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway
to heaven!”
The next morning Jacob got up very early. He took the
stone he had rested his head against, and he set it upright as a memorial
pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. He named that place Bethel (which
means “house of God”), although it was previously called Luz.
“Surely the Lord is in this place and I wasn’t even
aware of it!”
Every time we are not aware of the Lord’s presence,
Jacob’s statement is true of us. The
Lord is present everywhere we are and everywhere that we’re not. There is nowhere you can go and truthfully
say, “the Lord is not here.” The times
when we think that is true, our awareness is absent, not God.
I don’t like to admit that. I’d much prefer to think that somehow, God
decided to leave me alone for a while than concede that I am just not paying
attention. I have to admit it though,
because every time refocus my attention, I discover that, “Surely the Lord is
in this place and I wasn’t even aware of it!”
Take some time to do that today. Pay attention to the details of your
surroundings and your situation. Talk to
God about them in prayer. I’m betting
that if you can slow down enough to notice the condition of your life, you will
find some clues that God is there in the details.
Prayer: Thank
you for your constant and abiding presence, especially we aren’t aware of it.
Amen.
Prayer Focus:
Pray for the most vulnerable people in the nationwide heat wave we are experiencing
right now.
Song: We Are
Climbing Jacob’s Ladder
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