Sacred Spaces

Do Your Dogs Follow You Everywhere?

If you have dogs, I am sure you will understand this. My dogs follow me everywhere. They are my shadow. My husband feeds them, lets them out in the night, takes care of all of their needs, but who do they want to follow? Me. If I am at my desk, they are under it. If I am watching TV, they are on my lap or laying at my feet. I sometimes walk around just to see how long they will follow and they never stop.

As I thought about this post, I thought of the loyalty and closeness my dogs want to have with me, and how God would desire the same from us. Not that we would aimlessly follow Him, but that we would want to please Him, that we would want Him above all things. God desires for us to find refuge under His wing.

God Wants To Have A Relationship With You

Have you ever thought about how much God wants to have a relationship with you? Have you thought about all the things He has done throughout scripture to draw His people close? God desires our hearts to long for Him, and for us to want to spend time with Him.

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

Psalm 91:4 NIV

When I first started experiencing God speaking to me, I wanted Him to speak more. Often when we are in times of worship, we want more. Many times I have felt like Peter at the transfiguration when he says to Jesus, lets build shelters so we can stay here forever. As much as we love these moments, God loves them more and wants more time with us.

God Creates Sacred Spaces

As early as Genesis in the garden, we read of God walking in the cool of the day with Adam and Eve. In Exodus and Leviticus, we read of the creation of the Tabernacle, the place where God’s presence dwelled. This was a sacred space where He wanted to be among His people. God had the people then make sacred items they could use to worship Him. Furthermore, God established the sabbath and the feasts, a sacred time for His people to spend with Him.

God Sends His Son

Then comes Jesus. God loves us so much, He sent His son to live and experience the best and worse that life offers. He taught of His kingdom. He healed people, set them free, and so much more. His love for us erupted as He hung on the cross to take away all our sins and offer us forgiveness.

Jesus Rose From The Grave In Victory

After His death, Jesus rises from the grave in victory! He did not just say ‘hi,’ and leave, but He spent an additional forty days teaching His disciples. You can read about this time in John 20. Jesus reveals His true identity with them by showing the nail marks in His hands and feet. He spent time with them to help them truly understand all they had witnessed and to equip them for what would lie ahead.

After Jesus ascended into Heaven, that was not the end. He sent His Spirit to dwell with us. Throughout the scriptures, we find God reaching out in so many ways to partner with us, to spend time with us, and to let us be in His presence.

The Church Was Born

After the Holy Spirit filled the disciples, the church was born! Thousands of years after the first stroll in the garden, God still wants to be with us. The church created another sacred place for us to come together and worship Him corporately. It is a place for us to come together and study His Word. The church is also a place for us to come together and unite in prayer.

Here is what is even more amazing. It does not stop there. Church is a sacred place for us to come together to be with Him. But, we can also do this anytime, anywhere. Taking a walk, working in our offices, mowing the yard, or in our secret place, no matter where we are, God wants us to invite Him in.

God desires our closeness, and the invitation is wide open. How close we get, while here on earth, depends on us. We can spend our time doing earthly things or we can spend our time with Him, drawing close to Him, accepting His invitation to come.

You want even better news? It does not end when our time on earth is finished. Jesus calls us His bride. He invites us to a wedding feast in Heaven. He is already there, creating a place for you and for me. A place that we will dwell in His presence forever.

As I have read through the Bible, each time I see new places where God has made a way for His people to draw close to Him. Every other belief system requires the person to achieve something, or to work harder.

But God…

God says I just want to be with you. He invites each of us to come like Mary and sit at His feet. Not to achieve something, not to do more for others, but to come and spend precious time in His presence.

Are you in a season of waiting? Check out this “Pray the Word” Journal. Click here.