Surely the Lord Is in This Place

Devotional

Day 1: Anticipation in the Ordinary

Jacob’s stone pillow became a gateway to heaven. God often meets us in unremarkable moments—a roadside stop, a rushed meal, a cubicle at work. Just as Jacob discovered God’s presence in a barren place, we’re invited to expect divine encounters in the mundane. Anticipation isn’t about grand events but cultivating eyes to see God already at work. What if we approached each errand, commute, or chore as holy ground? The God who shaped galaxies dwells in dust and traffic jams. [34:03]

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! (Genesis 28:11–12, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you overlooked God’s presence this week because the setting felt too ordinary? How might anticipation reshape your commute or grocery run tomorrow?

Day 2: Pillows of Stone and Stairways to Heaven

God’s promises don’t wait for perfect conditions. Jacob fled his mistakes, yet God met him in restless sleep on a rock. The stairway to heaven wasn’t in a temple but a desert. Our weariness, shame, or numbness can’t limit divine visitation. Angels move in gas stations, hospital waiting rooms, and tense family dinners. Holiness thrives where we least expect it—if we’ll lay our heads down and listen. [39:57]

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, ESV)

Reflection: What “rock pillow” moment—a place of discomfort or disorientation—has God used to reveal his nearness? Where do you need to trust he’s building stairways in your wilderness?

Day 3: Uncle Julio’s Sanctuary

Fajitas and prayer requests mix where we least expect. Like Jacob, we often arrive somewhere just to fulfill a craving, only to find God hosting a revival. The server pouring coffee, the coworker sharing cubicle walls—these are altars. Sacred spaces aren’t about stained glass but open hands. Every table can become communion. Every interaction, a chance to join what God’s already stirring. [47:16]

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19–20, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your routine (barista, neighbor, coworker) might God be prompting you to see as part of his “sanctuary”? What ordinary space could you bless today by asking, “How can I join here?”

Day 4: Mission Fields in Exile

Jeremiah told exiles to plant gardens in Babylon—to bloom where they were stuck. Our “Jerusalem” isn’t a future destination but the driveway we shovel, the office we clock into, the school drop-off line. God’s call isn’t to escape our zip code but to dig wells of grace in it. Where you groan, “This can’t be it,” God says, “This is exactly where I’ll build my kingdom.” [01:02:19]

But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. (Jeremiah 29:7, ESV)

Reflection: What part of your daily grind feels like exile? How could praying for its “welfare” shift your perspective from survival to sacred investment?

Day 5: Tipping Well and Praying Better

Hospitality isn’t just a clean guest room but how we tip servers, greet strangers, and linger in parking lot conversations. Jacob’s holy place required no religious jargon—just awakening to God’s already-there presence. Our mission isn’t to preach at the world but to recognize Christ in it. Sometimes loving “everywhere” starts with noticing the person handing you fries. [01:06:35]

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. (1 Peter 4:9–10, ESV)

Reflection: When has a simple act of service (like generous tipping or a listening ear) opened a door for God’s grace? Who needs you to see them as Christ’s ambassador today?

Sermon Summary

Genesis 28 meets Jacob in an ordinary place, not a sanctuary or some spectacular destination. Jacob is running from the mess he has made, tired enough to put his head on a rock, and trying to figure out where he belongs. God meets him there with a stairway between heaven and earth, angels ascending and descending, and a covenant promise that reaches back to Abraham and Isaac. God tells Jacob, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go,” and that promise becomes the heartbeat of what it means to love everywhere.

God’s presence goes ahead of Jacob. God does not suddenly show up because Jacob finally noticed him. God is already at work, already moving, already present in places that look plain and ordinary. Jacob wakes up with the realization, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” That certain place becomes holy ground because Jacob becomes aware of the God who was already there.

The call to love everyone everywhere every day rests on that same truth. Everywhere believers go, God is there. Cars can become little chapels on the highway. Schools, cubicles, ball fields, restaurants, neighborhoods, hallways, and homes can become places of holy encounter. The question is not, “How do I bring God here?” God is not waiting to be summoned by the right songs, prayers, or religious routine. The better question is, “What is God already doing here, and how can His people join Him?”

God’s prevenient grace means that no place exists outside His reach. The earth is broken, but it is not abandoned to evil. God created it, God still claims it, and God will redeem and restore it. The church, therefore, cannot circle the wagons and retreat from the world. The church gathers in a building, but the church lives scattered across the city, carrying Christ’s hospitality into every place.

Love everywhere embraces the places where God is already at work. Hospitality without grumbling becomes a kingdom practice, whether at a table, in a concession stand, at work, or while praying with a stranger who needs help. Eternity begins here and now, and God’s people are called to bring a little bit of heaven into the places where their feet already stand. Every address is a mission field. Every ordinary place may be the place where someone discovers, “Surely the Lord is in this place.”

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Key Takeaways

1. God is already there first. God’s presence is not triggered by human effort or religious atmosphere. Jacob discovers that God had been present in the wilderness before the dream, before the altar, and before Jacob understood anything. Faith begins to look different when believers enter each place expecting to find God already moving. [49:13]
2. Ordinary places can become holy ground. Jacob encounters God with a stone beneath his head, not in a polished sanctuary. God regularly meets people in restaurants, cars, schools, workplaces, and exhausted moments that appear spiritually unremarkable. Awareness of God’s presence turns “a certain place” into a sacred opportunity. [46:34]
3. The church lives scattered across the city. A church building is a gathering place, but it is not the only place where the church exists. God sends His people into neighborhoods, offices, schools, and communities as His visible, hospitable presence. The mission continues wherever believers return after Sunday. [55:22]
4. Hospitality joins God’s kingdom work. Hospitality is more than being friendly in a church lobby. Christ’s people open tables, offer prayer, notice pain, and show up in hard places because Christ has entrusted His embodied care to them. A willingness to be interrupted may reveal that God has already prepared a moment of grace. [56:57]
5. Every address carries kingdom purpose. God does not call His people merely to wait for a better place, a better season, or a more impressive assignment. Jeremiah’s call to seek the good of the city presses believers to grow where they are planted and serve the place they have been given. God may redeem a difficult space through the very person who feels stuck there.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[31:50] - Love Above All
[32:44] - Love Covers and Leads to Redemption
[34:03] - The Power of Expectation
[38:36] - Jacob’s Ordinary Place
[41:14] - The Stairway and God’s Covenant
[43:23] - God Is With You Wherever You Go
[45:47] - Surely the Lord Is in This Place
[46:34] - Finding God at Uncle Julio’s
[51:26] - Joining What God Is Already Doing
[54:08] - The Earth Still Belongs to God
[55:59] - The Church Lives Everywhere
[56:16] - Hospitality Without Grumbling
[58:29] - Jerusalem, Judea, and Every Place
[61:17] - Your Address Is a Mission Field
[65:28] - Are You Available?

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Genesis 28:10-17
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.” [39:41] [41:14] [45:47]

1 Peter 4:8-9
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. [31:55] [56:16]

Jeremiah 29:7
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. [01:02:19]

Observation questions

What details in Genesis 28 show that Jacob’s encounter with God happened in an ordinary, exhausting, and uncomfortable place rather than in a sanctuary? [39:41]
What promises does God make to Jacob in Genesis 28:13-15, and how do those promises connect Jacob to Abraham and Isaac?
After waking up, what does Jacob realize about the place where he had slept, and what had he failed to recognize before? [46:34]
According to 1 Peter 4:8-9, what two actions are connected with earnest love for one another? [56:09]

Interpretation questions

God tells Jacob, “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go.” How does this promise speak to someone who feels displaced, uncertain, ashamed, or worn out like Jacob?
Jacob did not make God present in that place; he became aware that God was already there. What is the difference between asking, “How can people bring God here?” and asking, “What is God already doing here, and how can people join Him?” [52:11]
Jeremiah tells God’s people in exile to seek the welfare of the city where they have been sent. What might seeking the good of a city look like when believers do not especially enjoy their current workplace, neighborhood, school, or season of life? [01:01:48]
Peter connects hospitality with a refusal to grumble. Why might grumbling make hospitality less welcoming, even when someone technically offers help or opens a home?

Application questions

Think about the places you regularly go this week—your home, car, workplace, school, gym, restaurant, neighborhood, or ball field. Which place do you most often treat as spiritually ordinary or unimportant? What might change if you entered it praying, “Surely the Lord is in this place; help me notice what You are doing”? [51:26]
Is there a place where you feel stuck, frustrated, or tempted to simply endure until a better opportunity comes? How might God be inviting you to seek the good of that place rather than only waiting to leave it? [01:01:17]
God’s presence goes ahead of His people. What is one simple way you could pause before entering a familiar space this week and ask God how you can join His work there? [53:02]
Hospitality can happen at a table, in a hallway, at a concession stand, in a cubicle, or through a conversation. Who is one person you could intentionally notice, welcome, listen to, encourage, or help this week? [57:16]
When interruptions come—such as a coworker who needs to talk, a neighbor with a need, or a server who seems burdened—what usually makes it hard for you to respond with patience? What would hospitality without grumbling look like in one of those moments? [56:57]
Your address and daily work carry kingdom purpose. What gifts, relationships, or opportunities has God already placed in your hands, and how could you use one of them this week to bring a little of Christ’s care into your everyday place? [01:01:22]

Sermon Clips

54s

#JoinGodsMission

“But sometimes we ask the wrong question. How do I bring God here? Sometimes we think it's up to us. Like, if we sing the right amount of songs, God's gonna show up. Like, if we pray the right kind of prayers, God's gonna be there. Or if we summon him from on high, and and we we invite God into that space. We're not inviting God into a space that he doesn't exist in. We are inviting God into the space in our minds, in our hearts, and saying we are ready to receive him. He's already been here, but the invitation is come, Lord Jesus, come upon us. Instead of saying, how do I bring God here? The right question might be, what how do I become a part of what God is already doing here?”

64s

#ChurchEverywhere

“I want us to be reminded of this statement that the church lives everywhere. Where you are right now on on this planet is sacred and holy. Your address is a mission field. Your work has been gifted by God through whether it's your hands, your knowledge, your presence, how ever you have been gifted to work in this space, God has given it to you. And you are there on purpose. You're not an accident. You're not there by mistake or or by some happen chance. God has purposes and plans for our lives, and he calls us to grow exactly where we are, not to dream of someday over there.”

60s

#MinistryThroughYou

“there's ministry that's happening because everywhere we go matters. Everyone, every single human matters. And the question that Jesus is going to ask us, what did you do with the place I gave you? Are you available? Are you willing? Are you willing to allow God to redeem whatever space? And you may think work is the most atrocious place on the planet because of how rough it is right now. I will join you in prayer for God to move and change and redeem wherever you are. But he might just be waiting to do it through you.”

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