Jacob's Waking Exclamation (sermon 401)

Here is a very sweet blend of high and warm theology: the omnipresence of God, as grasped by Jacob when he understood that the Lord was truly present with him at Bethel, and what that still means for God's people today. Spurgeon first uses that episode to demonstrate the fact that God is always present in every place. He then moves on to talk about the spirit or attitude which recognises this weighty reality. Finally, he explains the practical consequences of this conviction that God is everywhere. As so often, there is a measure of penetrating insight not just into the doctrine itself, but also into the way in which that doctrine plays out in the life of a believer. It gives us a window into the heart of the preacher, and tells us something of his own sense. Ultimately, it helps us to appreciate the character of our Lord, who truly and consistently lived before the eye of God.