My thoughts often go to heaven. I want to be there. Honestly though, this morning as I contemplated heaven, it was more for selfish reasons. Once again I am dealing with an allergic reaction to something in my front flower beds. While I have not seen poison ivy lurking about, there is something my skin reacts to several times a year when I work in those beds. As I talked with God about heaven this morning, I shared with Him that I looked forward to working in a garden without rashes appearing around my eyes, arms, and throat.

Heaven…so many reasons I cannot wait to be there, but one thing I have always longed for is seeing Jesus face to face. I want to sit at His feet, gaze up into His face, and just talk. In the past, I struggled with prayer because of this. Feeling like the conversation was so one-sided, I had a hard time sensing God’s presence. When I was in an emotionally deep valley or had a rough decision to make, all I wanted to do was talk to Jesus face-to-face. I wanted answers. I wanted to be able to have a normal conversation where I could get verbal feedback right away. I wanted to hear His voice and have Him tell me what to do. I wanted to know His presence.

While God is everywhere present, He is not here as He was when Jesus became man and dwelt on the earth. This does not make Him any less present. God is with me every moment of every day whether I sense it or not, just as He was present with Jacob.

Jacob was on the run after stealing both Esau’s birthright and blessing. Headed toward Paddan-aram to stay with his Uncle Laban, he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stop for the night. He felt alone and unsure of his future. As he slept, he dreamt of a stairway reaching heaven where he saw angels of God going up and down the stairway. At the top, Jacob saw the Lord, who told him that the ground he was sleeping on would be his and his descendants. The Lord also offered this blessing.

“Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:15)

While Jacob was in a deep valley and uncertain of how his future would unfold, God made Himself known. He was present in Jacob’s brokenness and weariness. God desired for Jacob to come to the end of himself so he could begin relying on God. He wanted Jacob to abide with Him and know without a doubt that God was with him in that place and every place.

Waking with the assurance of God’s promise, Jacob declared, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” (Genesis 28:16) The answers to Jacob’s fears were given, even though they were not through a face-to-face conversation. Jacob fell asleep in an ordinary place, witnessed the extraordinary in a dream, and found extraordinary in the ordinary as he recognized God’s presence.

Maybe I cannot sit at Jesus’ feet and have all the answers right now. I may not notice the many ways He is at work in my life all the time, but I do know God is present. As I abide with God, He abides with me. He communicates to me the things He needs me to know in His way and in His time, even if it is not through a face-to-face conversation. As I recognize God’s extraordinary through my ordinary, I know His presence.

He offers the same promise to you. He is with you wherever you go. He will guide you and never leave you. As He listens to your questioning and your cries, He will hear you and answer. Sometimes God will direct you to His Word, sometimes through the words of a friend, sometimes through a quiet thought He places in your heart. He speaks. He is at work, and as you recognize with work, you will say “Surely the Lord was in this place, and I did not know it.” Abide with God and know His presence each day.