When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep… When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” -Genesis 28:11,16
Jacob was the grandson of the famous “Father Abraham”—hero and origin of the Jewish nation. But in his youth, Jacob was a rebellious troubler-maker.
After manipulating his older brother (Esau) and lying to his father (Isaac), Jacob ran away from home. He needed to put some space between himself and his family until things cooled down. It was on the run, in the middle of nowhere, that he stopped for the night, fell asleep, and had a famous dream.
The dream was about a stairway to heaven, but I want to talk about the place. “A certain place.”
You see, in Jacob’s day, people associated their faith system with their land. “In our land, we worship the god of this territory. He protects us and cares for us if we do the right things. If another army comes and destroys us, then their god is stronger than our god and he is taking over our land.”
Geography defined their experience of life—including their understanding of “the gods.”
So, when Jacob was outside “his land,” and was met there by his God, he was confused.
“God is here, too? In this place. And He’s been here all along?” We’re still learning this lesson, thousands of years later.
There is One God. He’s the God of the Universe that He created. He’s not just the Jewish God. And He’s not just the Christian God—as if a religious designation or denomination could claim or limit their Creator.
God is everywhere, for everyone. He’s always been and always will be. We intentionally, or unintentionally, try to box Him in, but He’s box-less.
He won’t be your genie in a bottle, waiting on your next command. He won’t be your religious trump card for winning debates. He’s not all than into rituals or rules that attempt to earn his favor. He’s bigger than that.
But He’s also more personal and more present than that. It seems THE GOD of our universe is always looking to remind you and me that He’s here… and He’s been here all along.