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!' (Genesis 28:16-17
In our text, we see Jacob, a deceiver and supplanter, on the run from his murderous older brother Esau, whom he had just robbed of the blessing of their father Isaac. It is a rushed and panicked departure when Jacob learns of Esau's intentions, and as he wanders in the wilderness, he has nothing to show for all his deceptions but to spend the night with a hard stone for a pillow, asleep on the barren ground and exposed to the elements and the threat of ravaging beasts, solitary and lonely. He is a man hunted and without peace, driven to a mad flight in order to escape the consequences of his sin.
Yet it is into this wretched scene, devoid of the comforts of his mother's home, fearful and friendless, that God in His glorious grace appears to the downtrodden rebel. In a wondrous dream Jacob sees that there is indeed a real connection to the spiritual realm right where he is - a divine ladder ascending into heaven, whereupon angels tread. God appears to Him with pure grace: a covenant promise of blessing that is immutable, and after this encounter with the LORD Jacob cries out, Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it! How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!
When was the last time left the sanctuary breathless with the dread and terrifying majesty of the LORD palpably present with us after a Sunday sermon in the house of God? Why is it that we are not like Jacob and cry out, How awesome is this place!? Why is it that we do not see the very gate of heaven before us each time the eternal Word is opened? Despite our modern sophistication, somehow the wanderer in the desert is given a better glimpse of the glory of God than us. But perhaps our hearts are not right when we come to church - we do not come expecting to meet with God, and so we do not see Him, and thus we cannot say with Jacob, Surely God is in this place, and I did not know it.
Perhaps a negative attitude, a critical spirit, prevents us from detecting the presence of the LORD? We must find harmony and balance in our hearts and in our minds when we attend these services: there should be powerful preaching, the fire of God being poured out into our hearts from His Word, which Jeremiah says is like a fire and a hammer. It should be a fire and a hammer, every time! But let us remember that no amount of fire and heat and light will produce a good sword if the metal being forged is corrupted and flawed: it will ultimately end up only a useless lump of discarded metal. If we do not come with a right heart to the meeting, we may never encounter the LORD - unless, as with Jacob, God in free grace decides to humble us even when we are rebellious and backsliding in heart.
Perhaps if we realize that in our hearts we are often like Jacob, and admit our name is Deceiver as Jacob did with the angel at the Ford of Jabbok - if we admit that we deceive our own hearts in a thousand different ways when we come to church  - unbelief, doubt, pride, envy, wrath, discontent, murmuring - then perhaps, like Jacob, we may be graced to experience that powerful encounter with God, and receive a new name from Him.