Genesis 28:16
When Jacob woke from his sleep, he thought to himself, The LORD is definitely in this place, but I didn’t know it. Genesis 28:16 CEB
How often do we come to the sudden realization that God is just along side us? Jacob at this point in his life is running from his brother Esau. Esau is angry because Jacob stole his birthright (the older brother’s share) when he was hungry, then Jacob tricked their father Isaac into passing the blessing that was to go to the older brother, Esau, to him, Jacob.
At this point in the story, one can imagine that Jacob is exhausted. His trickery has caught up with him. He is now in unfamiliar territory where his wits don’t help him nearly as much as they did in his mother’s tent. God meets him in this moment. God confirms that the blessing Jacob received from Isaac holds with Jacob. Here, in the shade of the staircase that leads to heaven, this trickster Jacob inherits the promises given to his ancestors since the fall of the Staircase of Babel.
Jacob wasn’t trying to climb to God, but God comes to him all the same, giving comfort. This is who our God is. God comes to us in the midst of the pain of life, reminding us that there is so much more to life that what we often see. We are invited here, as Jacob is, to see that God is active in our lives daily, not forcing us to do something or another, but inviting us to participate in the promises given us, to respond faithfully to the faith God has in us.
Amen