being god conscious
…”Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know about it.” – Genesis 28:16
Jacob was forced to flee his family after receiving God’s blessing from his father, Isaac. He fled as a result of his broken relationship with his brother, Esau, who threatened to kill him. He was alone, leaving his family, and sleeping in the forest of Bethel. It was here that Jacob personally encountered God for the first time. He saw a dream in which heaven opened for him. There Jehovah spoke to him and promised to give him the very land on which he was lying.
This encounter with God made him realize that God was in this very place, even though he was not aware of it. In order to reveal Himself to Jacob, God had to remove all the things that provided comfort to Jacob. What began as a crisis that forced her away from her family and friends resulted in her encounter with the living God and a new vision of God’s purposes for her life.
How often we are busy with our daily routine and fail to recognize that God is right where we are. God had to bring Jacob to a place of separation from his old life and remove all his worldly possessions. He was alone with God in Bethel; Nothing can distract him from the encounter that will change his life.
God often has to do revolutionary things in the life of a servant for whom He has special plans: separation from family, withdrawal of physical and emotional resources, meeting with God. These are often signs of God’s ownership that create an outlook in life.
