Bethel

"Han kom till en plats där han måste stanna över natten, ty solen hade gått ner." - Förste Moseboken 28.11/Genesis 28.11

"Och se, jag är med dig och skall bevara dig vart du än går, och jag skall föra dig tillbaka till detta land. Jag skall inte överge dig intill dess att jag har gjort vad jag har lovat dig. När Jakob vaknade upp ur sömnen, sade han: "Herren är verkligen på denna plats och jag visste det inte." Han greps av fruktan och sade: "Hur helig är inte denna plats..."" -  Förste Moseboken 28.15-17/Genesis 28.15-17

Sorry for the Swedish, I'm reading in Swedish and in a hurry so don't have time to transalate everything, but feel free to look the verses up in English!

Verse 11 says that Jacob came to a place where he HAD to stay overnight. Sometimes we come to places in our lives where we have no choice but to stay and wait. It might not be where we want to be but it's where we are for a moment in time.

If you're like me, in those places you itch to move on and out, and the hardest thing is to just stay and do nothing. When Jacob was placed in this situation, he slept and had a dream in which God spoke to him, and promised to take care of him. Verse 16 says that when he woke up he exclaimed "The Lord really is here, and I didn't know!" He then declared the place holy on account of God being there, and named it 'Bethel', which means 'God's house'.

In our chaos, especially in our moments of darkness, it's easy to miss God's presence. Wake up to the fact that even in your desert, whilst you're in that place of transition, God is present, and still taking care of you. It isn't a halfway house, it's God's house, 'Bethel'.

I'm in a place in my life right now that I'd rather not be in. NOTHING is going according to my plan. But I've no doubt God is here. So I'm going to do what Jacob did and name the place 'Bethel'; 'God's house', because He is with me and has promised to be with me, everyday, wherever I am.

Don't lose sight of God in your darkness, because I promise, despite what you are going through, He hasn't lost sight of you.