An Open Heaven
Habitation
Thirdly, we consider habitation. When Jacob awoke from seeing the heavens opened and angels ascending and descending his response was, “WOW!”
He exclaimed:
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.
Genesis 28:16–19 ESV
When God visits he comes to stay. He is not only interested in visitation but also habitation. He is looking for a place to dwell; somewhere he can call home, where he can kick back, and relax—an environment that answers to who he is. So, what creates that environment and what kind of house does he want to live in? one that’s free of manipulation and merchandising (2 Pet 2:3, 14; 2 Cor 2:17); that is filled with worship and intercession. Jesus said that “My Fathers house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Mk 11:17; Isa 56:7; Jn 2:16; 2 Cor 2:17; 2 Pet 2:3).
So, an open heaven is marked by a significant increase in the spirit of prayer and of worship. No church growth programme, city-reaching strategy, or ‘anointed’ entertainment will ever build the house that God lives in. He will only dwell with the humble and contrite of spirit. If we understood the implications of this we would be on our faces. Because we call ourselves ‘church’ does not guarantee that we are, in fact, the house of God! The Lord continues to cry out to this generation:
Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
Isaiah 66:1–2 ESV