God in the Ordinary

Meditations on Genesis 29

There was nothing unusual about this day. Jacob arrived in Paddan Aram, the land of the eastern peoples. He really didn't expect anything. He just saw a well, with three flocks of sheep lying near. The well was covered with a large stone. The stone was so large that it required several shepherds (all the shepherds of the three flocks) to move away in order to water the sheep! Until all the shepherds have come, they could not do anything but wait. Then Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his uncle, arrives. She was probably the last of the shepherds that they've been waiting for in order to move the large stone, so that they can water the sheep. But Jacob saw something else on this occasion. Although God is not mentioned at all, the reader is led to conclude that Jacob saw the hand of God in this ordinary event. He cried like a baby, for no apparent reason, and with no explanation from the narrator! The only possible explanation is that he found his relatives. He got so excited that he moved the large stone all by himself (talk about being in "indoor" person)! This fact was emphasized twice in the text (verses 12 and 14). Indeed God guided him to that very place where his relatives lived! This is just one of the many instances where God would show His favor in the life of Jacob (there would be many more). What is unusual about it is that it happened on such an ordinary day. God was present even in the ordinary. Are you seeing His hand in your life lately? Maybe you're looking for special manifestations. Why not look at ordinary situations. He is there. God is closer than you think.

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