Place & Presence
Contributed by Nancy Buschart

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” —Genesis 28:16-17

Jacob is a bit of a scoundrel. In Genesis 28 he has just swindled his brother Esau out of his birthright blessing and deceived his dying father, Isaac. With rage and revenge on his mind, Esau is now after his brother and his intentions are not for good! So, Jacob is on the run and headed to his Uncle Laban to find a wife. (He ends up with two—Leah and Rachel.)

Jacob stops for the night, chooses a rock for a pillow, and has dream-filled sleep. Angels climb up and down a ladder to heaven and God himself appears to Jacob and pronounces the contours of the blessing Jacob has stolen. The scope of the Lord’s blessing includes vast lands, descendants numerous as the dust of the earth, and that through Jacob all the peoples of the earth will be blessed. Jacob, the Deceiver, is stunningly blessed by the God of his fathers, Abraham and Isaac.

Further, the Lord promises, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Jacob has experienced the presence of God and wakens with new awareness of this God. “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” Maybe for the first time in his life, Jacob has encountered the God of his fathers. He is in awe. He makes his rock pillow a memorial to the God who has made His presence known in that one spot in the desert.

What Jacob did not yet realize is that there is no place where the Lord God is not.

Place is ‘where I am.’ Place may be ‘home’ or like Jacob’s disoriented ‘exile’ in the desert, a place where I visit or a long-time habitation, my car, or my living room. The truth is, wherever I am—where ever you are—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—the Triune God is present. God’s presence where ever we may be is a stunning blessing for all who love God and seek His face.

The Lord’s promise to never leave Jacob sounds familiar to our ears. Jesus final words to his disciples said the same. “Surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20).

Consider …

╬ We often don’t have eyes to see the evidence of the Lord’s presence. Look around you now—do you believe that “the Lord is in this place?” How do you pay attention and practice being present to the Lord who is always and forever present to you?

╬ Knowing that the “Lord is in this place” can be a gift to our desire to live and love well. Our false, deceiving ways of being are challenged by acknowledging the Lord’s presence. When have you known the Spirit’s conviction of the cruel word you are about to speak or the sin you are about to engage? When has God’s loving presence caused you to pause?

╬ God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, you are always present to your people. Even when we don’t acknowledge you, you are the God who is With. Forgive us for being so short-sighted and forgetful. Open our eyes, Lord God. We need to know that you are in this place, with us. In Christ Jesus we pray. Amen.