Volume 1 · Week 2 — The Presence of God
Day 8 — God in the Midst of Ordinary Life
Main verse
“[…] Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.”
— Genesis 28:16 (excerpt) (KJV)
Meditation
Jacob was not in a sanctuary. He was traveling alone, fleeing a family situation that had become dangerous. At nightfall, he stopped at an unremarkable place and took a stone for his pillow. Nothing suggested that he was about to meet God.
Yet there, in the midst of his journey and his anxiety, God revealed Himself. On waking, Jacob understood that the place he had considered ordinary was inhabited by a presence he had not recognized.
Sometimes we imagine that God can be encountered only in exceptional moments: during a worship service, a spiritual retreat, or an especially intense prayer. But He also meets us in the kitchen, on the road, at work, in a waiting room, or in the middle of an uneventful day.
God’s presence does not depend on our ability to feel it. He remains near even when our minds are preoccupied and our hearts distracted. The point is not to make Him come, but to learn to recognize the One who is already there.
Perhaps nothing extraordinary will happen today. Yet this day can become a place of encounter if we live it attentively. God is often present in places we pass through without looking.
Psalm
Psalm 16:7–11 (KJV)
7 I will bless the LORD , who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. 8 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. 10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Further Bible reading
Genesis 28:10–22; Acts 17:24–28
Suggested hymn
The Church Hymnal (1941), no. 20 — “Lord of All Being, Throned Afar”
Prayer
Lord, open my eyes to Your presence in the ordinary places of my life. When my concerns keep me from recognizing You, gently remind me that You are near. Make this day, with its simple tasks and unexpected encounters, a place where I can walk with You. Amen.
A thought to keep
God can inhabit an ordinary moment before I am even aware of it.
Personal Notes
What would you like to remember, pray about, or put into practice today?