I love how Bethel became a special place of worship for Jacob. When he first fled from Esau, he ran to Bethel (Genesis 28) and that’s where he encountered God. Bethel was where Jacob had the vision of the angels going up and down the stairway that came out of heaven. Then in Genesis 35, God told Jacob to go back to Bethel, settle there, and build an altar to worship God.

Last year I quit my job. The Lord was so sweet to confirm that decision in many precious ways. I don’t doubt my decision. I know He called me out of teaching for this season of my life. I know He wants me to focus my time and attention on Him and my family. But there was a part of me that wondered if the Lord had something else for me too. I wondered if there was another ministry opportunity that He wanted me to be involved in. So needless to say, when the end of 2016 rolled around, I started to question whether or not I had missed something. Was there something else God had in mind for me? Was I in the position He wanted me in?

So I prayed and asked the Lord about it.

As I prayed, the Lord suddenly and very clearly spoke to my heart, “Rachel, the position I have for you is on your knees before Me.”

He was calling me back to Bethel.

Anything of any value or importance, any influence or ministry, will only come out of the time I spend on my knees before Him.  I am nothing apart from my encounters with my God at Bethel.

 I’d been trying to build a platform of ministry when I should have been building an altar of worship.

Bethel—that’s where God wants my heart to settle. That’s the position He has for me. That will always be the position He has for me. Because Bethel is where I encounter Him and where He reveals Himself to me. Bethel is the place I need to keep going back to again and again.

He’s calling us all to go back to Bethel.

So where is your Bethel? Where is that special place where you meet with the Lord alone on a regular basis? I encourage you to find your Bethel and go there. Go, and keep going back. Don’t just rush in and out of Bethel. Settle there. Utilize your time and energy to build an altar of worship–not a platform of ministry.

He’s teaching me so much at Bethel. He gently reminds me not to worry about ministry. Ministry will naturally flow out of the time I spend with Him at Bethel. The whole point of going to Bethel is to seek Him. To spend time with Him. To get to know Him. To worship Him. To behold Him. To fall in love with Him.

Go back to Bethel.

He’s there–waiting for you!