4 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Genesis 28:1-29:30
Matthew 9:18-38

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Genesis 28:16 (CSB): “When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.'”

Reflecting on God’s Word

Jacob had deceived his father and brother in order to get his family blessing and birthright. So, he ran for his life and hightailed it Ur, a trip that would have been about 2,000 – 2,500 miles long.

But on the way, the Lord showed up to him in a dream. The Lord affirmed Jacob’s part in what God had promised to Abraham. In a nutshell, the Lord promised that Jacob’s descendants would own the land he was on, and his descendants would be as numerous as (metaphorically speaking) the dust on the earth.

Jacob woke up from that dream and uttered the words in the verse I have chosen for today: “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”

Those words are so comforting! They can help you and me, here and now.

We often think that the Lord is present when we gather for church services, but He may not feel present in our homes, at work, or while shopping in a store. If we get sick and end up in a hospital room, we may not feel that He is present in that room.

But Jacob’s words remind us that we serve an omnipresent God. That means that God is completely everywhere at all times. There is no place we can go that God is not already there. (Just read Psalm 139:7-12).

With God’s omnipresence in mind, don’t let your feelings run your life. Go with what the Bible says. There will be times when you feel alone, like God is a million miles away. But that isn’t true. Go with the truth of God’s Word! Jesus has promised to “never leave us or abandon us” (Hebrews 13:5). You, my friend, are never, ever alone!

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you develop spiritual eyes that regularly look for what He is doing around you.
  • Ask God to help you rest in knowing that He will never ever leave or abandon you.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into the doctrine of God’s omnipresence, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does it mean that God is omnipresent?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)