31 Jul Enshrouded by Terri Porter
It was the beautiful moment in the evening just before the sun was going to kiss the day goodbye and I took advantage by jetting out the door to drink in the splendor of a walk. As I briskly began my journey around the neighborhood of townhouses I found myself saying out loud the ponderings in my heart. Here I was, staying with family, in the midst of a burgeoning city. Construction sites were but steps away, a shopping plaza loomed large just minutes to the north, and the street outside was teeming with traffic; and yet this lovely microcosm of life in this enshrouded complex was so peaceful, beautiful, tranquil and presented itself as a sanctuary, a refuge from the chaos of life right outside it’s borders.
My heart exploded with the knowledge of how my God offers me a refuge, a tranquil place, a hiding spot, a secret garden, a sacred space. Offering is one thing though, receiving it, pushing for it, prioritizing it and intentionally plotting out time to retreat there is quite another. At our desperate times, in our deepest pain, during our celebratory victories, at these moments God is calling us, beseeching us to escape the complexities of life and the weight of ministry to crawl under his wings of protection, his arms of comfort, his sanctuary of renewal, his oasis of refreshing. He is reminding us that we are in desperate need of revival. We have drained the batteries of our soul & our heart longs for a recharge!
This is my encouraging word today. Find the sacred space. Create it, discover it, fight for it. Maybe it’s a walk in nature, your office with a candle burning, a comfy chair with soothing music, a corner with your favorite things. When you find His refuge, open your mouth, pour out your heart, your pain, your gratitude and your dreams. Open the Word, dive into it’s riches of replenishment! Sing to Him and let him sing back over you! Confess His word out loud to yourself! Crack your heart open, let it bleed passions, desires, hopes, plans, pain, disappointment, hurts, rejection. Spill it out! Then in this enshrouded place of His goodness let him pour the healing oil of joy to mend your brokenness. When you are refreshed…walk out back into the chaos with a renewed sense of purpose and perseverance! It’s your secret, just you and God!
-He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
-Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
-I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
-My God, in Him I will trust.” Psalm 91:1-2