The Lord Is In This Place

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it." Genesis 28:16



The 28th chapter of Genesis describes a time in the life of Jacob when he found himself caught in the wilderness when the sun went down. The Bible says that "since the sun had set," he camped there for the night, using a stone for a pillow. Even for a man living in ancient times, this had to be an uncomfortable way to spend a night. He obviously hadn't come prepared for sleeping outside.

During the night he saw a vision of heaven opening up and angels going up and down a ladder that connected earth to heaven. The next morning "when he awoke from his sleep, he thought 'Surely the Lord is in this place and I was not aware of it.'"

We've all found ourselves in the same place at times in life. We're traveling along life's journey when the sun goes down and we find ourselves caught in the dark. It's not a place we want to be, but it's where we are and the only thing we can do is to make the best of a bad situation. We would prefer the comforts of home, but have to accept the fact that a rock is the only pillow we'll have for now.

What are we to do in those moments when we feel alone, in the dark, in the wilderness? The answer is to open our eyes and see the reality beyond our superficial circumstances. It was when Jacob woke up that he said, "Surely the Lord is in this place and I wasn't aware of it." Make no mistake about it, the Lord is with you wherever you are right now. In the darkness of your night, in the desolation of your wilderness, in the discomfort of your position, He is with you.

When Jacob saw that reality, suddenly his perspective on the situation changed. No longer was the stone pillow something to despise. Now, because he saw God in the situation, that hard place became a holy place. Verses 18-19 says, "He took the stone he had used for his pillow and stood it up as a memorial pillar and poured oil over it. He christened the place Bethel (God's House)."

The hardest places of our lives are holy places because we aren't alone. Maybe the greatest need in your life at this very moment isn't that your situation would change, but instead that you wake up. Open your eyes and see that "the Lord is in this place." You may not have been aware of it until now, but you can open your eyes and see. He is with you, working out the details of your life even when it makes no sense. The circumstances may seem hard, but you can know that the Holy Spirit covers your situation as surely as the oil covered the rock on which Jacob slept. You aren't alone. Trust Him. He is with you and will guide you along your journey at every step, even when you find yourself in the dark, sleeping in hard places.