Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place and stayed there that 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 to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it 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. 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 in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 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.” Then Jacob awoke 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 early in the morning Jacob took the 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 the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.” Genesis 28:10-22 (English Standard Version, ESV)

Jacob was fleeing his brother Esau and was going to see his uncle Laban. On his way, he came to a certain place and laid down to sleep for the night. He dreamed and in his dream he saw angels of God ascending and descending on a ladder. God spoke to him, calling him to make a covenant with Him and establish a relationship. He promised to give Jacob the land and told him that He was with him. Jacob awoke from the dream and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” Jacob called that place Bethel. Beth means house in Hebrew and El refers to God, so Bethel means House of God. Jacob made a vow to God that if the Lord would be with Him and provide for him, he would give a tenth of all he had to God in God’s house.

God was where Jacob was but Jacob didn’t recognize the presence of God until God gave him a dream, and revealed Himself, speaking to Jacob and making a promise to him. As a result, Jacob realized the Lord was in that place and he began to experience more of what God would do.

God can be everywhere and yet we don’t recognize Him. Sometimes we need God to visit us supernaturally- by a dream, speaking to us from His Word, or revealing Himself and manifesting His presence. Then, we can become more sensitive to Him and His working in us and in our lives. As we do, we recognize His person, presence, promises, and power. We know by experience that God is with us always, but as God manifests His presence, this gives us even greater assurance.

We can know God by revelation, by personal encounters with Him, by hearing His voice, by revealed understanding of His Word, by dreams and visions, and other experiences of His person. This makes us more conscious of His abiding presence. We are more aware of Him and serve Him in His house, understanding that, as New Testament Christians, we ARE the house of God.

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? I Corinthians 3:16 (English Standard Version, ESV)

He dwells within us as we honor Him. We can encounter God on a daily basis as we live our lives for Him. As we continue to walk with God, He will walk with us- closer and closer into a deeper, more personal, intimate relationship. We can recognize God, because He lives in us.