Genesis 28:16

The Lord is in this place. Jacob’s statement is not evidence, as some commentators suggest, that Jacob conceived of God as appearing only at certain consecrated places, and that he had chanced upon one of these. It is, rather, an expression of his surprise and joy upon finding that whereas he had imagined himself alone, he was in reality in the very company of God. Jacob’s statement was, in a certain sense, a self-accusation. He admitted that lack of faith had occasioned his thoughts of discouragement. It was when he felt most forsaken that he found God nearer and more real to him than ever before.