The Lord is in this Place

Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, was not off to a good start. Born second of a set of twins, Jacob plotted early to trick his father and receive the blessing of the birthright. That blessing, passed from father to eldest son, was so important to Jacob that he schemed and plotted and devised a way to trick his brother and his father. Esau, hungry after a day of hunting, was a willing target. Isaac, eyesight dimming, was taken in. Jacob got what he wanted, but now he was on the run. He must leave his family behind and the anger of his brother. His parents send him to find a wife in the home of a relative named Laban.

Jacob is a liar and a thief. There is no way to soften the blow. He has taken charge of his own life and his own circumstances. He has a plan and he is working the plan. The plan does not include a whole lot of foresight. In getting what he wants he has become an alien and unwanted at home. Traveling on the road, he has only a stone on which to lay his head. His life has become miserable and uncomfortable. His plans are not going quite the way they “should.” But God is about to intervene.

In Genesis 28, as Jacob goes to sleep, he is visited by a dream. There is a ladder reaching from heaven to earth. Angels ascend and descend. God stands above the ladder and speaks to Jacob. The promises given to Abraham are now given to Jacob. God has a plan. He is working the plan. Jacob needs to surrender. He needs to set aside his own vision for the future and join with God.

Waking from the dream, Jacob says, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” Oh how that statement speaks to me! Busy work schedules. Plans for tomorrow, the day after, retirement, and so much limit my vision. I make a plan and work the plan. But do I stop to see what God has planned? Do I stop and look for what God is doing in this moment, in this place? Do I take time to talk to God about what HE wants in my life? Do I stop to listen to what God has to say in the words of the Bible, the fellowship of His people, and the still quiet moments of devotion? Too often my answer is no. Too often I am bogged down on a lonely road, concerned only about the stones I have to make the best of.

Embedding the Bible means stopping for a moment in this place we know as life. It means looking beyond my own vision to see what God is doing. God is in this place. Take some time to know what that means.