A Spacious Place

He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me. (Psalm 18:19)

Do you have a special place where you can go to be with the Lord? It may be a physical place — a room in your house, a special spot in the park, a trail you love to hike. Or it may be a place where you can meet Jesus when you quiet your mind in prayer. For me it is both a physical place and a place that I can retreat to in my mind.

Many years ago Bruce and I visited a beautiful little stone church in Maine. It was a gloriously sunny August day, but there was a lovely, refreshing breeze coming from the sea. The lawn behind the church was a lush green, and just beyond it, I could see the sun shimmering on the deep blue ocean. I thought it was one of the most beautiful landscapes I had ever seen. To me, the vibrant colors and the vast horizon captured something about the Kingdom of God — something I long to experience. That place has become special to me, so special that when I close my eyes in prayer it is that place that I picture. I invite Jesus to meet me there. Often he joins me under a majestic tree where we can look out over the vast ocean.

To me, this place is an ideal representation of the spacious place spoken about in Psalm 18. When I first visited that little church in Maine, I didn’t have that in mind at all. It was some years later as God was healing me of fear and anxiety that he made the connection for me. He allowed me to step out of the confined, dark place in which I had been living and move into the vibrant space he had prepared for me.

As you seek healing from the Lord, I encourage you to ask him for your spacious place. And when you receive it, know that Jesus will meet you there!