Even When I Didn't Know

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” Genesis 28:16 (New King James Version)

God’s presence is not limited or eliminated by my lack of knowledge or acknowledgment. Just as in the case of Jacob, God is always present whether I know it or not. My awareness of His presence is for my benefit. Seeing that for myself brings Him into focus….not existence. Jacob had to come to the place where he could see and understand God’s companionship in his everyday life. The realization of it all set him on a path of change and direction.

Each of us could look back at times in our life when we failed to know God was in the places of our life. Not just the physical places, but the seasons, circumstances, and circumference. Whatever I am going through, He is there. With each issue that I wade through, He is there. Through every failure and success, He is there. He is with me in all of my places. Not just present, but involved and interested. That is a concept I sometimes find hard to wrap my mind around.

For most of my Christian life I lived with the false idea that I was unimportant to God….a lost face and soul in the crowd. It was the very essence of feeling insignificant and invisible. At my lowest points, God wanted me to know that He has always been present with care, concern, and compassion. I am not unknown or unnoticed by Him. Time and time again He invites me to know that, because it is the key to living the abundant life He promised.

It is too easy to define the quality of my life by the things I possess, the people I know and am known by, the personal accomplishments I master, and the way I think and feel about myself. God wants me to know that those are parts of my life but they are not the essence of my life. He is the essence and He doesn’t change. He alone defines me and refines me. My quality of life is dependent upon Him and connected to Him. The more I know Him the more that quality grows. I don’t have to wait until everything in life works out the way I want it. I don’t have to wait until I have all of life’s lessons down pat. Beginning today, in this moment, I can live my life the way God intended. Perfect? Hardly! Fully aware of His presence and Person? Absolutely!

Father, You have never stood at a distance. Help me to sense the nearness of You. Amen.

Surely the Presence of the Lord is in This Place
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTX5lcxRIwg&feature=related

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.