Experiencing God's Presence #42

Experiencing God's Presence #42

Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!

Genesis 28:16

Jacob had fled his home and slept under the stars on a stone pillow. As far as he knew, he was in a very ordinary place. But ordinary places become extraordinary when God shows up. During the night, Jacob had a dream in which he saw a stairway leading into heaven and angels going up and down it. At the top of the staircase was the Lord Himself.

Jacob woke up with a new understanding of his location and renewed assurance of God’s promises. Portals to heaven don’t occur often, and when they do, the place seems sacred. Jacob went to sleep one night without a clue that God was unusually present, and he woke up the next morning in awe of His Presence. Neither the place nor the person had changed; the only difference was an encounter with God.

That’s why we seek encounters. Jacob hadn’t sought—and God does sometimes choose to encounter those who haven’t expected to see Him—but the invitation in Scripture is to pursue God’s Presence wholeheartedly. An if-it-happens-it-happens approach is rarely rewarded; God honors those who single-mindedly seek Him.

We can never assume that God is absent from the ordinary places of our lives. Neither can we assume that long seasons of “ordinary” are a sign that God doesn’t want to meet with us. Just beyond our vision, He watches and waits.

Know that wherever you go, you are on potentially sacred ground. An encounter with God will make it so. Ask for that. Open your eyes. Expect divine visitations. The God who seeks a relationship will find ways to make Himself known to those who look for Him.

Lord, I’m looking for You. Open my eyes to see. Let me encounter You in the ordinary and extraordinary places of my life. Help me be prepared to recognize Your Presence at any moment of any day.