Is God Near or Far?

Genesis 28:10-22

10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 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. 12 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! 13 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. 14 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. 15 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.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 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.”

18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

Pastor Daniel has returned back to us from his Sabbatical. The message he shared with us posed the question: is God near or far? Pastor Daniel asked himself this question when he was traveling in Italy and visited the Milan cathedral. The cathedral is a grand construction and the interior gave the impression that God was great but also far. Can God truly care about us if He is far from us? To see what scripture says on the topic, Pastor Daniel took us through Genesis 28:10-22, where Jacob encounters God in a dream.

For context, Jacob, the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, had a twin older brother named Esau. Isaac favored Esau, while their mother Rebekah favored Jacob. As Isaac neared death, he asked Esau to prepare his favorite meal so he could bless him. Rebekah, overhearing this, helped Jacob deceive the now-blind Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing instead. Enraged, Esau vowed to kill Jacob, who fled to his uncle’s home. On the way, Jacob slept in a field and encountered God in a dream where Jacob saw a heavenly ladder with angels descending and ascending it (Gen. 28:12).

Pastor Daniel then invites us to examine Jacob’s life and actions so far to see if we can determine if God is truly near or far. 

1. Have I personally encountered God?

Although Jacob was raised by pillars of faith, Isaac and Abraham, he may not have had a personal relationship with God himself. In verses 16 and 20–22, Jacob acknowledges that God was in that place, but he “did not know it.” He also makes a conditional vow: “If God will be with me…then the Lord will be my God.” Jacob’s earlier deception becomes more understandable if we see it as the action of someone who lacked a personal connection with God. At about 77 years old, Jacob’s choices were not those of a naive youth, but of someone not yet submitted to God’s will.

2. When do I seek God? 

Jacob didn’t actively seek God. Though he fled in fear of Esau, the text doesn’t mention him praying or reaching out to God. Yet, God appeared to him in a dream. Jacob’s reaction was awe and fear, saying, “Surely the Lord is in this place” (Gen. 28:16). This shows us that many of us, like Jacob, only seek God in crisis, rather than daily pursuing His presence.

3. So is God near or far? 

God’s response to Jacob was clear and compassionate. He promised to be with Jacob, to bless him, and to never leave him until His promises were fulfilled (Gen. 28:13–15). Despite Jacob’s flaws, God drew near. The answer, then, is that God is near—even when we don't deserve it or recognize it.

Now that we’ve seen Jacob’s experience, Pastor Daniel challenges us to respond.

• First, we must seek a personal encounter with God, not rely on secondhand faith.

• Second, we must meet with God regularly, not just in desperation, but to build an ongoing relationship.

• Finally, knowing that God is near, we should live like it—with an unconditional faith that mirrors God's unconditional love for us.

Reflection Questions

1. Have you had a personal encounter with God? What was it like?

2. Where are times that God feels far in your life? Times where He feels near? 

3. What does a personal relationship with God look like to you? How can you pursue it more intentionally?

4. When you think you messed up things in your life by your poor decisions, how could you still seek Him?