Day 2

Genesis 28:16 (ESV) – “Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’”

We don’t lack God’s presence. We lack awareness of it.

Many of us spend our days waiting for something to feel spiritual before we acknowledge God. A quiet morning with an open Bible? That’s God’s presence. A worship service where we feel something deep? That’s God’s presence. But sitting in traffic, answering emails, folding laundry? That just feels like life.

The Bible tells a different story. When Jacob was running for his life, alone in the wilderness, he fell asleep on a rock and had a dream of heaven opening. When he woke up, his first words weren’t, “That was just a dream.” Instead, he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” (Gen. 28:16).

Jacob didn’t need to bring God into that place. God was already there. He just didn’t see it.

The Story of Frank Laubach: Seeing God Everywhere

In the early 1900s, Frank Laubach, a missionary in the Philippines, found himself restless. He loved God, but something felt off—his spiritual life felt disconnected from his everyday life. He longed for something deeper, so he started a radical experiment: what if he tried to make himself consciously aware of God’s presence every waking moment?

At first, he struggled. Distractions pulled him back. But over time, something changed. In his journal, he wrote:

“Oh, this thing of keeping in constant touch with God, of making Him the object of my thought and the companion of my conversations, is the most amazing thing I ever ran across. It is working! I cannot do it even half a day—not yet, but I believe I shall.”

By the end of his life, Laubach described a closeness with God that was unlike anything he had ever experienced. He didn’t wait for “holy moments” to find God. He trained himself to see God everywhere.

The Unseen Reality Around Us
• God is in the ordinary. We don’t need a spiritual retreat to meet Him. He’s in our schedules, our commutes, our conversations.
• Awareness takes practice. Laubach didn’t feel God instantly—he trained his mind to turn toward Him.
• We miss God because we’re distracted. Our minds are filled with noise, but God’s presence isn’t absent—we just don’t notice.

The good news? God is already here. You don’t have to search for Him. You just have to wake up to the reality that He’s never left.

Reflection:
1. Where do you struggle to recognize God’s presence?
2. What would change if you assumed He was with you at all times?
3. How can you practice turning your thoughts toward Him throughout the day?

Do Something:
Set a reminder on your phone today—just two words: “God here.” Every time it goes off, pause. Breathe. Whisper, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”