Genesis 28:16

New International Version (NIV)

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”

For Meditation

It was nobody’s doing. Jacob had pushed himself out of the security of his father’s house. He was running from his brother, Esau. But, did he also think he was running away from God? Did he think that God was limited to Beersheba and his father’s house alone?

Whatever Jacob thought was irrelevant. God was at Bethel with him. He is the Omni-present God who fills His entire creation. As David affirmed years after:

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
 even there your hand will guide me;
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you” (Ps. 139:5-12).

Regardless of what Jacob thought, God was where he was. He did not know it, but He was right there with him. The God of his fathers Abraham and Isaac was dealing with Jacob to make him into the vessel He wanted him to be – to carry the Abrahamic covenant forward and birth the nation Israel. That was the essence of Jacob’s dream at Bethel (Gen. 28:13-15).

“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it,” Jacob said (16).

Yes, Jacob. God is in Bethel as much as He is in Beersheba. You messed up in Beersheba, but God has not abandoned you. He is with you and goes with you. He will accomplish His promise and purpose through you.

Maybe you feel like Jacob at Bethel today. Maybe you have messed up and feel lonely in your wilderness. You think God has forsaken you. He has not! He is right where you are, working to perfect you in Christ Jesus. Or maybe you are defiantly running away from God, thinking you can get away from Him as far as possible and feel secure in your rebellion. I am sorry to burst your bubble, friend; for you can’t escape God’s Ever-presence (Ps. 139:4-12). The mercy and gracious Father will not abandon you in your stubborn defiance. His hand will be upon you until you yield and be restored (Ps. 32:3-6).

I pray you surrender to the Holy Spirit today and experience the manifest Presence of God wherever you are. Never will He leave you. Never will He forsake you (Heb. 13:5).

So: May you rejoice that God has not abandoned you; and may you embrace His goodness in all His promises through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen!

Shalom