“Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place—and I did not know it!”

— Genesis 28:16

Jacob arrives at a place in the wilderness and decides to use a rock for a pillow. I’ve always questioned that choice.

That night he dreams, and the Lord stands beside him. “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…”

When Jacob wakes, he recognizes that he has encountered God. God has just promised him the world. God has revealed God’s own identity. And still Jacob can only say, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”

I have to wonder how that could be. Surely Isaac had told him the stories. Surely, around campfires and family meals, Jacob had heard about Abraham meeting God in the wilderness. Surely he knew of God’s faithfulness, God’s protection, God’s promises. And yet, when he finds himself in the very kind of place where God had always met his ancestors, Jacob is surprised.

I wonder how often we are.

How often do we think we are alone, abandoned, forgotten, only to discover that God has been present all along?

This morning I went to visit a parishioner in the emergency room. While we waited for tests and doctors, I asked about his time in physical therapy. He told me story after story of nurses who had stopped by simply to pray with him. One even asked if she could anoint him with holy water that had been blessed by the Pope.

Over and over again, people had shown up to remind him that he was not alone.

He asked me what I thought it all meant.

I smiled and said, “I guess it means you’re pretty important to the Lord. God just keeps sending angels back and forth to remind you that you’re not alone. I guess God still has some plans for you.”

We know God is faithful. Scripture tells the story again and again. The Church bears witness to it in every generation. We have testimony upon testimony of God’s steadfast love.

So why are we still surprised when God shows up?

Even in the wilderness. Even in the darkness. Even in the waiting. Even in the fear. Even where we are right now.

Beloved, may God surprise you today with holy presence. And may you see the angels ascending and descending, bringing assurance, hope, and the reminder that you have never been alone.

I’ve been thinking lately about unreliable narrators. I will have more to say on this subject in the future, but for now, let me just say Jacob is unreliable as a narrator and as a character. He’s just … not a great guy for reasons I don’t think I have to explain, especially at this point in his story.