“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it” (Genesis 28:16).

Have you ever had the experience of waking up in the middle of the night, not knowing where you are? I have. There has been a time or two when I had to sit up in bed and get my bearings before I realized where I was. It can be a strange experience when it happens. Well, would it surprise you to know that one of the most familiar characters in the Bible had a somewhat similar experience? I’m speaking of Jacob. Let me set the stage for you.

As you know, Jacob conspired with his mother, Rebekah to steal his brother, Esau’s birthright. As you might expect, Esau was very angry and planned to kill Jacob. Jacob was forced to flee. His father Isaac made him promise to go to his uncle Laban to seek a wife for himself. While on the journey, Jacob had a dream. In the dream, God told him that he would become a great nation, that his offspring would be a blessing to all the families of the earth. It’s at that point that Jacob woke from his dream and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

As I’ve thought about Jacob’s words, it struck me that he had much more in mind than the actual location, the place where he had his dream. There was nothing special about where he was, where he chose to spend the night. All the text tells us is that he “came to a certain place and stayed there that night.”  There has to be more to it than that.

Well, as I’ve considered Jacob’s words, I’ve come to see a principle that applies to each of us in various ways. Here’s what I mean. Inherent in Jacob’s statement was his realization that the events that put him in the desert fleeing for his life were being used by God as part of his overall plan for Jacob and his offspring. In other words, God was part of all that had transpired up to that point, including Jacob’s deception of his father and stealing Esau’s birthright.

Now don’t get me wrong. I am not condoning Jacob’s deception of his Father. What I am suggesting, however, is that God is sovereign over our actions, no matter how right or wrong they appear. Jacob came to see that God had been active, very active in everything that preceded him being in the desert, fleeing to his uncle in search of a wife. He was not able to see God at work as the events unfolded. Yet on a special night alone in the desert, while fleeing from his brother, he suddenly arose from sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”

Have you had similar experiences, when in quiet reflection you’ve come to see that God has been with you all along; you just didn’t know it? Are you in such a place right now? Immediately after Jacob said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it” he went on to say, “How awesome is this place.” Yes, it is truly awesome to see how God is at work in our lives, even when we wake up in the middle of the night not knowing where we are.