“Surely the Presence of the Lord Is in this Place”
Text:
Thesis:
Genesis 28:10-22
God enters our times of crisis to transform them and us.
Jacob was in trouble. He was running from his twin, Esau, who wanted him dead –
and with just cause. Jacob had been after the position and blessing of the first born
son from the moment of their conception. Their mother, Rebekkah, could feel them
wrestling in her womb. Esau was the first born of the twins but he entered the world
with Jacob hanging on to his heel. Jacob, the “heel grabber,” took advantage of his
brother in a moment of weakness. Esau had returned from hunting, starving, but not
wanting to wait to eat. For a bowl of lentil stew, Jacob bought the position of first born
son from his hungry brother.
Jacob, the “trickster,” took advantage of his own father in his weakness. Isaac lay
near death. It was time to give his blessing to Esau – a blessing which would bestow
on him the favor of God which had come to him from his father Abraham. But while
Esau was away preparing a last meal for his father, Jacob, disguised as Esau, tricked
his father into giving him the blessing. No wonder Esau promised himself that after
his father’s death, he would kill Jacob.
Jacob was in trouble. He had spent his life close to his mother’s tent. Now he was
alone, on a journey to his mother’s family. As he lay down to sleep, he placed a stone
at his head for protection. And he began to dream. He saw a stairway reaching
clear to heaven. Angels traveled up the one side and down the other. Then God
was standing beside him. “I am the God of your father Isaac and your grandfather
Abraham. I will give all this land to your family. You will have many children and
your family will spread out in all directions. Your family will be a blessing to all the
families of the world. I will be with you wherever you go and will keep you safe until
my promise is fulfilled.” And Jacob woke up. “Surely the Lord is in this place – and I
did not know it!”
SING – “Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. I can feel his mighty power
and his grace...”
James Cash Penney was in trouble. He had checked himself into the Kellogg
sanitarium at Battle Creek, Michigan – the Mayo clinic of the 1930's. There, the staff
physician, Dr. Eggleston, examined him and declared that he was extremely ill. A
rigid treatment was prescribed but nothing helped. James was attacked by the twin
demons of hopelessness and despair. His will to live was disappearing. He got
weaker day by day. He was broken emotionally and physically, filled with despair,
unable to see even a ray of hope. He had nothing to live for. He felt that he hadn’t a
friend left in the world, that even his family had turned against him. Dr. Eggleston was
alarmed. He gave James a sedative but it quickly wore off. James woke up with the
conviction that he was living the last night of his life. He got up and wrote good-bye
letters to his wife and son.
James Cash Penney was in trouble – but it hadn’t always been that way. He was
born on a small farm in Kentucky to committed Christians. His father was a minister
in the Primitive Baptist Church. They passed on a deep and abiding faith to their
children. Even when church politics cost his father his position, it turned out to be
providential for James. With money a problem, teenage James left school and went
to work as a clerk at a local store to help support his family. He worked in several
stores until he was able to buy a one third interest in a dry goods store in Kemmerer,
Wyoming in 1902. In Kemmerer, James and his wife lived in a tiny attic apartment
above the store. Their furniture consisted of a large empty dry goods box for a table
and smaller boxes for chairs. When their first child was born, his young wife wrapped
the baby in a blanket. He slept under the counter in the store while she worked
alongside her husband. From those humble beginnings, J.C. Penney began a chain
of department stores which made him incredibly wealthy.
Then the Great Depression hit. Though his stores were doing well, Penney had been
adding outside businesses and they proved to be extremely costly. In order to
finance them, he borrowed heavily. The Depression prompted banks to request the
repayment of his loans sooner than expected. He was financially devastated. With
the constant worry, Penney had trouble sleeping and eventually developed a painful
illness. It was at that point that he entered the Kellogg Sanitarium.
James Cash Penney was in trouble the night he wrote to his family. But he awakened
the next morning, surprised to find himself alive. Walking down the hallway of the
hospital, he could hear singing coming from the little chapel. He went in. He listened
with a weary heart to the singing – “Be not afraid, what e’er betide, God will take care
of you.” – the scripture lesson – the prayers. Suddenly something happened. “I can’t
explain it – I can only call it a miracle. I felt as if I had been instantly lifted out of the
darkness of a dungeon into a warm, brilliant sunlight. I felt as if I had been
transported from hell to Paradise. I felt the power of God as I had never felt it before.”
[The J.C. Penney Story, found on the internet]
SING – “Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. I can feel his mighty power
and his grace...”
I was in trouble. It was the week before spring break my senior year in college. My
heart had just been broken. My future was uncertain. I planned to go to grad school.
But I had to wait at least a year. What would I do until then? I couldn’t sleep. I
couldn’t eat. I couldn’t study. I went to a caring professor who sent me home. She
made all the arrangements. Talked with my other professors.
I was in trouble. God and I weren’t exactly on speaking terms. I was no longer angry
as I had been in high school when my father lost his job. But I hadn’t returned to the
church. I wasn’t reading the Bible. I had no real prayer life. One day, at home, I got
into a conversation with my mom. I asked – “Who do you count on when everything
is falling apart?” “Your father,” she answered. (This was long before their separation
and divorce.) “Yea, but he could die.” Mom said – “Jesus is the friend you can
always count on.” And I can’t explain it, but for the first time in a long time, I really
believed it. I could feel God’s forgiving love. I could feel God’s presence.
SING – “Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. I can feel his mighty power
and his grace...”
God enters our times of crisis to transform them and us. Crisis becomes an
opportunity to find God for the first time or perhaps in a new way. Before the crisis of
his brother’s wrath, Jacob had no personal awareness of the God of his ancestors.
After his encounter with God, Jacob claims the promises to his family as his own. He
creates a pillar as a sign of his covenant with God. It would still take some time for
Jacob, the trickster, to become Israel, the one who strives with God. But Jacob and
his life are transformed.
Before the crisis of financial ruin, J.C. Penney had only a generic faith in the God of his
parents. After his encounter with God, J.C. Penney knew that God was a God who
loved him and was there to help. It would take some time for him to recover
financially and grow his chain of Golden Rule Stores to over 1,700. But James and
his life are transformed.
Before the crisis of an uncertain future, I kept God at arms length. After my encounter
with God, I knew that God did care about me personally and would help and guide me.
It would still take time and a discussion with a beloved pastor to return me to active
discipleship. But I and my life were transformed.
Where are your places of crisis? Perhaps they are an opportunity to see God in a
new way. Perhaps God is waiting to speak with you through a dream – through a
hymn or scripture or prayer – through the voice of a family member or friend or pastor.
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. God’s blessing is for you. God
promises to be with you wherever you go. God promises to bring you safely into the
Kingdom. Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen