Here, There, Everywhere

Here, There, Everywhere

Jacob is an interesting figure in the Old Testament. He is the second-born son of Isaac, and his name is associated with the idea of grasping the heel or supplanting another. Deception characterizes much of the first half of Jacob’s life as he takes both the birthright and the blessing that belonged to his brother.

Yet Jacob is later renamed “Israel,” a name connected with striving with God. Through Jacob, twelve sons are born who become the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. Through Jacob—now Israel—God builds His chosen nation to be a light to the surrounding nations.

I bring up Jacob today because, in Genesis 28:16, he declares what we often miss:

“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

The Lord is in this place.

Or better yet, the Lord is in every place.

The Lord is where you are reading this right now, and He is also where a hundred other people may be reading it. The Lord is there. The Bible tells us over and over again that there is nowhere we can go where the Lord is not.

The universal presence of God is a fact; however, my awareness of it often wavers.

I live as though God is absent.

I pray as though God is unaware.

I worry as though God is not with me.

God is here. There. Everywhere.

There is no place where God is not.

Jesus speaks of having faith like a child, and I think this is one place where we can learn from children. A child may find it easier to accept the universal presence of God than adults who have become preoccupied with distance, commutes, and hiding places.

A child freely accepts what an adult may forcefully debate. This is not necessarily because of ignorance, but because of trust.

Why would God not be everywhere?

Why would I want to worship a God whom I could outsmart, hide from, or trick?

“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

Today, I encourage you to ask God to make you more aware of His presence in the ordinary places you encounter. God is at your desk, in your kitchen, on your walk, and in your bedroom.

While we often try to hide in the bushes like Adam and Eve, God continues to call out to us while knowing exactly where we are.

God is here.

You are not alone.

You cannot hide.

God still desires you.

“O God and Father, I repent of my sinful preoccupation with visible things. The world has been too much with me. Thou hast been here and I knew it not. I have been blind to Thy Presence. Open my eyes that I may behold Thee in and around me. For Christ’s sake, Amen.”