IN THE HOUSE OF GOD

Sometimes, we appreciate the significance and the daunting nature of an experience only in hindsight. Busyness, weariness, or other preoccupations can distract us from understanding the reality of the situation. As an occasional journalist, I have interviewed individuals, only to learn later the real significance of their story, work, or achievement, and then I had a longer list of questions that I wished I had asked, and I regretted the missed opportunity. Or sometimes, I have visited a historical location, only later to read more about its significance and what I should have been looking for. Jacob had arrived at this place tired, alone, and afraid. He was running away from a deceived, disappointed father and a dangerously angry brother—setting off on his own journey into the unknown. He slumped on the ground, trying to get some rest, so tired that a stone was enough to serve as a pillow. It was only after Jacob experienced God’s presence in this place and the offer of the promises God had given to his father and grandfather that Jacob awoke with a realization of the significance of what had taken place. Perhaps he awoke to the first graying of the light amid the cool of the early morning, stiff from a day of hurried travel followed by sleeping on the hard ground. But he also awakened to a new relationship with God, a new vision for himself and his people, and new promises that would guide his life. Jacob trembled with the realization of God’s presence in Bethel, yet this was a “Do not be afraid” moment. The God of Abraham and Isaac was now also the God of Jacob.

And that uncomfortable pillow was now a memorial stone to the promises and presence of God (see Genesis 28:18, 19).