Scripture: Genesis 28:10-22
Journal: How aware are you of God’s presence and work in your life on a daily
basis? What helps? What hinders?
How can you become more aware?
Reflection:
“Surely God is in this place and I was not aware of it.” What a tragic line. Fortunately for Jacob, God was not content to
leave him unaware. But that is not
always the case. There are plenty of times
when we get so hyper-focused on the task at hand, the chaos and busyness of our
lives, or our anxieties about what is to come, that it keeps us from being able
to remember and experience the fact that God promises to always be with
us.
In this case, Jacob was on a
mission. He had a definite agenda in
mind, as he spent the night, with a stone for a pillow, somewhere between
Beersheba and Haran. After all, he was
heading to Paddan Aram—under orders of his father, Isaac—to take a wife. I mean, that is no small matter, right? No wonder he was not particularly attentive
to the journey; he was totally consumed with the destination. Destinations—both good and bad—have a way of
doing that. They have a way of diverting
our attention and making us unaware of the presence and work of God in our
lives in the present moment. Our
activity and our anxiety make it nearly impossible for us to be still and
know that he is God. So God has to come
to us somehow—as he did to Jacob—and get our attention.
It makes me wonder. It makes me wonder how many times God was
right there with me and I failed to notice. It makes me wonder what all I have missed. It makes me wonder how I can live in such a
way that I am always aware of God in this place, wherever this place
may be. O Lord, help me to live my life
in such a way that I am always aware of your presence and your work.
Prayer
Closing
Prayer: O Lord, help me to live my life in such a way
that I am always aware of your presence and your work.
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