BEEN HERE BEFORE – Reflecting on How far God has brought us and how far we have to go.

Been Here Before
July 18, 2025
Pastor Calvin Cook

Scripture: I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”16When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” Genesis 28:15-17 (NIV)

There are places in our lives that hold more than memories—they hold meaning. A place where we felt particularly close to God. A quiet place where we suddenly experienced change that brought peace. A kitchen table where forgiveness was spoken aloud. A room where we gathered with brothers and sisters in Christ and surrendered all to Jesus. These places become sacred not because of anything spectacular, but because something holy happened there. And when we return, whether it is the same place or a place that reminds us. In these times my words are consistently – “I have been here before.”

Last night that place was the PPG Paint Arena for the Summer Nights of Worship Concert with Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham, and Josiah Queen. I have followed and appreciated both Brandon Lake and Phil Wickham. Some might say I am a Brandon Lake groupie and have attended several of his concerts over the last few years. It is really not about Brandon Lake or Phil Wickham, but what God is doing through them to reach millions. But more importantly by their testimony what God is doing in them.

As the concert started and the praise began and the words of inspiration, challenge, and consolation filled the place, I felt the words once again “I Have Been Here Before”. Not necessarily the arena for the concert, but have been in this Holy place in this holy moment. I was reminded of the story of Jacob.

Jacob’s story in Genesis 28 is one of divine encounter. Fleeing, Jacob stops for the night in a barren place. While sleeping with his head on a rock, he dreams of a ladder reaching to heaven, with angels ascending and descending. God speaks to him—not in condemnation, but in promise. When Jacob wakes, he marks the spot with a stone and names it Bethel, which means “Place or House of God.” Later in Jacob’s story he returns to that place, a man changed. The place hadn’t changed—but Jacob had.

Last night and this morning I am humbled. That we have loving God, who looks through all of the universe even into our own chaos and says just like God spoke to Jacob, speaks to us and says : “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you”

Returning to a place that once changed us can be a spiritual act of remembrance. It’s not nostalgia—it’s testimony. It’s a way of saying, *God met me here. God moved in me here. And I am not the same.
But here is the challenge : Sometimes we revisit these places physically. Other times, we return in prayer, in memory, or through scripture. The point is not to relive the past, but to recognize how far we’ve come. To take these divine interactions with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit with us to places that need this same hope. To bring the excitement of 17,000 people worshiping and praising Jesus into the far off places and to a people to experience this same move, maybe in a much different way, but in a Holy Spirit filled way.
It can and will happen if we take serious the move of the Holy Spirit in us and through us.

Prayer:
God of holy moments, thank You for the times You’ve met me in unexpected ways. Help me to remember with gratitude, to return with humility, and to walk forward with faith. May I never forget where You’ve brought me from—and may I trust where You’re leading me next. Amen.

Here is a further suggestion for today – Practice sacred repetition: Once a rhythm is established be faithful to it. Don’t underestimate the power of returning to simplicity practiced through these daily times of being with God.