Seeing the Sacred: God's Presence in Every SeasonSample

Day 1: Cultivating Awareness

In Genesis 28, we find Jacob fleeing from his brother Esau, on his way to Haran. At sundown, he stopped to set up camp and rest for the night. With a stone as his pillow, Jacob went to sleep. While he was asleep, he had a visitation from God through a dream. God conveyed His covenant with Jacob, just as He had done with Jacob's father, Isaac, and grandfather, Abraham. He promised to be with him, to bring him back to the land he was resting on, and to fulfill everything He had promised.

"Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it.’” (v. 16)

Have you ever journeyed through a season unaware?

It’s not difficult to do. When you’re caught up in the chaos of change, it can be challenging to recognize God’s presence. In the day-to-day, not-so-glamorous realities, it’s easy to think that God has someplace better to be than in your chaos. But this passage in Genesis reminds us that the seasons and moments we feel we are merely surviving are sacred. That God is in the moments we feel we are barely making ends meet.

This passage is a powerful reminder that God is with us even when we aren't aware of His presence. When life feels overwhelming, it’s easy to miss the divine, sacred moments that are woven into the fabric of our everyday. Sometimes, we will feel abandoned or overlooked, especially during moments of stress and uncertainty. But God is always present, always watching over us, and always keeping His promises.

This passage is also a challenge to cultivate awareness.

Agriculturally, to cultivate means to prepare and use land for crops or gardening. It involves several steps: preparing the soil, sowing seeds, nurturing growth, and finally, harvesting. This metaphor is one I believe parallels the process of cultivating spiritual awareness. Just as a farmer must be diligent and attentive, we too must be intentional in our efforts to become more aware of God's presence in our lives.

In applying the concept of cultivation to spiritual awareness, it's clear that spiritual awareness is an active and ongoing process. It’s not enough to have a one-time experience of God’s presence; we must continually deepen and sustain our awareness. Also, when we cultivate awareness, God’s presence is no longer what we just sit by and wait for; it is what we actively seek.

Reflection:

1. Reflect on the areas of seasons in your life where you’ve missed seeing God’s presence. What might you have overlooked? Did you eventually see signs of God’s presence and faithfulness, even if it was only in hindsight?
2. How can you cultivate greater awareness in this season?

Blessing:

May it be settled in your heart,

right here,

right now,

that God is here.

May you journey through each day

with a renewed sense of awareness

that God is with you always,

no matter the season.