“Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the LORD, the God of Abraham stood beside him and said, ‘I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that 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.’ Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place – and I did not know it!’ And he was afraid, and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’ So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took a stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called that place Bethel…”

I am always in God’s presence, but like Jacob, often don’t recognize that God is standing beside me, (that phrase “the God of Abraham stood beside him” can be translated stood above or stood on) how many times have I failed to grasp God standing over (on) me while I’m busy in my attempt to figure out how to climb the ladder to Him. Oh how I missed the point, God comes down, I’m not (we’re not) meant to climb the ladder. Emmanuel, God with us! Good news, Jesus came down, Jesus lifts up. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!