A Person Rather than a Place

Genesis 27-28; Psalms 4, Luke 11

“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.’”

Genesis 28:16, 17

Following a dream the Lord gave to him, Jacob focused on a place, not a person. Jacob named the place Bethel, meaning House of God. He believed God was especially present in that place and promised to return there.

Are we, like Jacob, focused on a special place, our own Bethel, where we believe the Lord’s presence is greater than in other places?

When we focus on a place, rather than the person of the Lord, we become distracted and fall into rituals and even idolatry. Jesus invites us into his presence each day through the person of the Holy Spirit. When we are limited in our capacity to gather with other Christ-followers, we have a wonderful opportunity to focus on the person of Christ and his presence, rather than our place.

“Lord Jesus, my heart says of you, ‘Seek his face;’ your face Lord, I seek, for your glory.”