He met God and didn't even know it. Jacob, who was later renamed Israel by God, became the recipient of God's promises made to his grandfather Abraham.
"He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. "Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it." He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." (Genesis 28:13-15)
Our encounters with God may not be as dramatic as Jacob's, but the fact remains that wherever we are God is there, whether we know it or not. There are times when ordinary places are transformed into holy places because we are keenly aware of the Lord's presence. I once heard someone talk about a "sacred utility pole" at a camp because it was there, leaning on the post, that this individual had a special encounter with God in prayer.
Part of the adventure of faith is that, at any given moment, our ordinary surroundings can become a "Bethel" (house of God) as the presence of God becomes especially real to us. We are blessed by those moments when we are fully convinced of the reality and presence of God, but the real adventure of faith is to continue when God seems hidden and silent.
The old cliché is that "seeing is believing", but in reality "believing is seeing". We walk largely by faith and not by sight, but there are moments of sight and insight that sustain us.
I pray that you might have a "Bethel" experience today, but, more importantly, I pray that your faith remains strong regardless of whether God seems visible or invisible.
Steve
"He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. "Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it." He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." (Genesis 28:13-15)
Our encounters with God may not be as dramatic as Jacob's, but the fact remains that wherever we are God is there, whether we know it or not. There are times when ordinary places are transformed into holy places because we are keenly aware of the Lord's presence. I once heard someone talk about a "sacred utility pole" at a camp because it was there, leaning on the post, that this individual had a special encounter with God in prayer.
Part of the adventure of faith is that, at any given moment, our ordinary surroundings can become a "Bethel" (house of God) as the presence of God becomes especially real to us. We are blessed by those moments when we are fully convinced of the reality and presence of God, but the real adventure of faith is to continue when God seems hidden and silent.
The old cliché is that "seeing is believing", but in reality "believing is seeing". We walk largely by faith and not by sight, but there are moments of sight and insight that sustain us.
I pray that you might have a "Bethel" experience today, but, more importantly, I pray that your faith remains strong regardless of whether God seems visible or invisible.
Steve
posted by steve @ 10:04 AM
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