Jacob's Dream: An Ordinary Stone Becomes Holy

By Danny Saavedra

“When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.’ He was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.’”—Genesis 28:16–17 (NIV)

If you’ve ever camped under a starlit sky, you know how quiet, lonely, and humbling it can feel. That’s exactly where we find Jacob in Genesis 28. But how did we get here?

Generations earlier, God made a covenant with Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham. God told Abraham that through him He would bless the world and through his family line would come the promised Redeemer. Even though he and Sarah were old and childless, by faith they received a son—Isaac.

Isaac grew up and had twin sons, Esau (born first) and Jacob. Jacob schemed to take his brother’s birthright and tricked his father to receive the family blessing. When Esau found out, he swore to kill him, so Jacob fled. That’s where we find him now: a man weighed down by anxiety, sleeping on the hard ground with a stone for a pillow. Nothing about that night felt sacred or peaceful. The world around him had become unstable and unsafe.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? With anxiety, loneliness, and stress at record highs, many of us know what it feels like to be in a wilderness, emotionally unraveling. Maybe your ordinary settings have become the backdrop for sleepless nights and unanswered questions. Jacob’s story reminds us that even there, heaven can break through.

As Jacob slept, he saw a ladder stretching from earth to heaven, angels ascending and descending, and God Himself standing above it. The Lord repeated His promise and assured Jacob of His presence. When Jacob awoke, he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” What once seemed like an ordinary patch of dirt became holy ground! Jacob named the spot Bethel, meaning “house of God.”

Centuries later, God would again choose a tumultuous moment, a stressful situation, and an unassuming place for heaven to meet earth.

The moment: first-century Roman-occupied Israel while it was experiencing a time of oppression and unrest; a time when hope was hard to find.

The situation: a poor, pregnant virgin and her carpenter husband, traveling for a census with nowhere to stay.

The place: a small town named Bethlehem, a place called “small among the clans of Judah” (Micah 5:2 NIV).

And just as Jacob’s weary night became a meeting place with God . . . in the middle of this tense moment and stressful situation, Bethlehem became the gateway through which heaven touched earth again and gave the world what it needed most: peace and hope through the Redeemer promised to Jacob’s grandfather!

And that’s still how He comes. God meets us not only in our strength, but in our fear and not only in our successes, but in our exhaustion. He steps into anxiety, loneliness, and chaos and fills those spaces with His glory. The same Presence that met Jacob that night now meets us in our homes, our workplaces, and our wilderness. And when He does, we’re reminded, “Surely the Lord is in this place.”

Put It To Practice: Connect

God created us for deep connection! Whatever your personality is, you weren’t meant to do life alone. An essential part of becoming more like Jesus is developing routines of connecting with His people. Additionally, the greatest commandment was summarized by Jesus as loving God and loving others. Today, practice loving others by connecting intentionally. Whether you help wash the dishes with someone in your home, play whatever your sibling or classmate wants to play, keep a friend company at work, or go run an errand with someone, be present with someone in an everyday task today.

For the Family

Today’s Main Idea: God meets us in our fear and turns ordinary spaces into holy ground.

Ask Together:

1. When you feel scared or worried, how can you remember that God is with you right where you are?
2. What’s one place—like your room, the car, or school—where you can stop and talk to God this week?

Prayer

Father, thank You for meeting Jacob in his fear and for meeting me in mine. When my heart feels anxious or heavy, remind me that You are near. Fill my home and my mind with Your peace and presence. Let me see Your holiness in the ordinary and Your power in my weakness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.