Bethel and Bethlehem
As a part of Advent, I've been preparing my heart for Christmas with some devotionals that walk you through Old Testament stories that tell of the ancient longing for a Messiah. One such story today was the story of Jacob in Genesis 28:10-22.
Most of us know the story - Jacob is on the run and comes to his resting place for the night with nothing but a rock for a pillow. He has this vision of angels ascending and descending on a ladder from heaven, and God speaks to him personally with a promise that he will be with him and bless all the nations of the earth through him.
To me, the climax of the story is when Jacob wakes up and says, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was unaware of it!"
To quote the devotional that I read today:
"We are painfully unaware...How many times could we, like Jacob, say 'Surely the Lord was in this place and I was unaware of it.' If we had eyes to see and ears to hear - what would things look like, what would they sound like? Is there a staircase in our kitchen with angels ascending and descending? Is there a ladder that stretches from the desk in our cubicle at our boring job - straight into glory? Is our fenced-in, suburban backyard Bethel, the house of God? Are we surrounded by your presence?"
It reminds me of Bethlehem on that silent night. No room in the inn. Christ born in their stable and they were unaware of it.
When Jacob awoke, his head was still on a rock. He was still on the run. His circumstances had not changed a bit, and yet the awareness of the presence of God changed everything. He now had hope and a promise, a mission and a reason to live.
Instead of always praying for our circumstances to change, maybe we should pray for our eyes to be opened to his presence in the midst of it all. Like Jacob, may God give us visions of heaven even while we sleep on rocks. And may the awareness of his presence and the assurance of his personal promises saturate our hearts this Christmas.
Most of us know the story - Jacob is on the run and comes to his resting place for the night with nothing but a rock for a pillow. He has this vision of angels ascending and descending on a ladder from heaven, and God speaks to him personally with a promise that he will be with him and bless all the nations of the earth through him.
To me, the climax of the story is when Jacob wakes up and says, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was unaware of it!"
To quote the devotional that I read today:
"We are painfully unaware...How many times could we, like Jacob, say 'Surely the Lord was in this place and I was unaware of it.' If we had eyes to see and ears to hear - what would things look like, what would they sound like? Is there a staircase in our kitchen with angels ascending and descending? Is there a ladder that stretches from the desk in our cubicle at our boring job - straight into glory? Is our fenced-in, suburban backyard Bethel, the house of God? Are we surrounded by your presence?"
It reminds me of Bethlehem on that silent night. No room in the inn. Christ born in their stable and they were unaware of it.
When Jacob awoke, his head was still on a rock. He was still on the run. His circumstances had not changed a bit, and yet the awareness of the presence of God changed everything. He now had hope and a promise, a mission and a reason to live.
Instead of always praying for our circumstances to change, maybe we should pray for our eyes to be opened to his presence in the midst of it all. Like Jacob, may God give us visions of heaven even while we sleep on rocks. And may the awareness of his presence and the assurance of his personal promises saturate our hearts this Christmas.
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