“Then Jacob woke up from his sleep and said,
‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!’”
Genesis 28:16
After Jacob’s well-known stairway to heaven dream, he was amazed by the fact that God had been right there with him, but he was unaware. Before we criticize Jacob for not being aware of the God who was pursuing him, let’s look ahead to Jacob’s responses when he DID become aware of God’s presence.
Jacob got up early the next morning and used his stone pillow to build a memorial to the Lord. He anointed it with oil and named the place Bethel, the house of God. There Jacob made several vows to the Lord: First, if God would do the very things He had promised, then the Lord would certainly be HIS God. Second, he would give God one tenth of everything God gave him. And third, the pillar he had set up would become a place of worship.
Many years later, Jacob indeed returned to Bethel and built another altar. There again God appeared to Jacob with a fresh revelation and even more promises. It had been over twenty years since Jacob first became aware of God’s presence, but during that time, he never stopped worshipping! His example speaks loudly today: Don’t waste time regretting your years of being unaware that God was there with you. Instead, make sure that when you DO become aware of GOD’s nearness, you worship Him!
