Genesis 28:16-17 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."
When you feel the presence of God it is amazing. That awareness that God is truly “in this place” leaves you still but active, at peace but in reverent fear. When we hear God speak, even just a faint awareness that God is speaking to us, it’s deeply comforting and an amazing grace of God. I have been in meetings with other believers, often worshipping God, and known that “God is in the house”. The Holy Spirit is moving in His amazing gifts through people and it’s an amazing blessing. It doesn’t have to be in a Church even. Sometimes it’s in someone’s home, in a school hall you’ve borrowed, or even in a tent!
For the past few years I have attended a Christian camping holiday that has been a real blessing. Some of the regular attendees have the expression “when God speaks, he speaks at camp”. I have to say God has used this camping holiday to provide an opportunity to really speak into my life some things maybe I wasn’t as open to listen to at other times. So I know what they mean.
When Jacob heard God speak in his dream about the ladder and the angels his reaction was a fascinating insight into our human nature. He declared “God is truly in this place, this must be the house of God.” I have some friends from Cornwall who call it “God’s country”. The strange thing is my friends from Scotland say that is “God’s country” too! So between Jacob and my Cornish and Scottish friends someone has got it wrong. Truth be told, Jacob missed the point like many of us. What God was saying was important. The fact that God, the maker of all things, was speaking to Jacob was important. But the place where He spoke was the least of the issues.
We so easily focus on where God speaks, or who He speaks through. The real focus is God wants to meet with us, listen to us, and speak to us. So maybe, as in my case, God speaks at camp because that’s where I am listening. He could have said the very same thing at the kitchen sink, if I were ready to hear.
So true, I was reflecting this morning on the hymn Dear Lord and Father of Mankind.
ReplyDeleteThe crux of the hymn is that it starts with asking God to forgive our foolish ways of seeking him, and ends with a declaration that our ordered lives will confess the beauty of his peace. Sometimes we just need to create a place for God to minister to us, and make our strivings cease.