Always Near / Unexpected Peace
This past summer two magazines published a couple of devotions of mine, each about a historic place here in my own town that has become very meaningful to me.
Always Near
Published in "Devozine," July/August 2017 Edition
After delivering meals one Saturday morning, I quietly slipped around to the front of the building where the volunteers meet. I had never been in the sanctuary of this historic brick church.
I pushed open the large door and entered the sanctuary. Straight ahead I saw a large cross, depicting Jesus surrounded by saints and sorrowful angels. Beautiful replicas stood around the room of intricately carved Bible characters and others who followed Jesus throughout history. Small flames flickered from candles, and a bit of sunlight shone through the colorful stained glass.
My breath caught, and the silence hushed me. I never knew that such a beautiful place of worship existed in my town. As I sat quietly in a wooden pew, a peace I hadn't felt in a while soothed me.
That visit led to others, as I returned to the sanctuary whenever my heart felt heavy. Now, I often stop and enter those large wooden doors each week to pause from life's chaos and find a glimmer of hope.
Although I know that God is fully present in my busy workplace or my simple home, I have learned that certain places speak to our souls and reveal God's presence in a way we fail to recognize elsewhere. In moments when I feel alone, I remind myself that God is always as close as I know Him to be when I sit on the wooden pews of that ornate cathedral.
Unexpected Peace
Published in "The Secret Place," Summer 2017 Edition
Psalm 139:7 "Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?"
When my alarm began beeping on an early Saturday morning, I blearily remembered volunteering to help with the community meal delivery program. I'd always wanted to volunteer, but life had been a definite struggle lately. An extra hour or two of sleep could have easily been justified.
But an hour later, our van loaded with food bags and boxes, two other volunteers and I began navigating the town, knocking on doors, cheerfully greeting each person who answered. Some were talkative; others mumbled "thank you" with sadness displayed in their eyes.
After completing our deliveries, I returned to my car, parked at the church that managed the food program. I eyed the historic edifice and curiously wondered if its doors might be unlocked. When I saw a clergyman enter, I swiftly headed toward the entrance.
When I pushed open the heavy door, silence and beauty quieted my every distraction. I walked breathlessly through the sanctuary, viewing the ornate artistry, biblical sculptures, and depictions of saints and Jesus. I sighed longingly, hoping the door would again be unlocked in the future.
A morning of sleep was not what I'd needed after all. Peace had filled my being through hands that touched mine as they were passed a meal, and through the historic, hushed beauty of an unlocked cathedral.
God, remind us that wherever we go, your presence is always with us. Amen.
Always Near
Published in "Devozine," July/August 2017 Edition
After delivering meals one Saturday morning, I quietly slipped around to the front of the building where the volunteers meet. I had never been in the sanctuary of this historic brick church.I pushed open the large door and entered the sanctuary. Straight ahead I saw a large cross, depicting Jesus surrounded by saints and sorrowful angels. Beautiful replicas stood around the room of intricately carved Bible characters and others who followed Jesus throughout history. Small flames flickered from candles, and a bit of sunlight shone through the colorful stained glass.
My breath caught, and the silence hushed me. I never knew that such a beautiful place of worship existed in my town. As I sat quietly in a wooden pew, a peace I hadn't felt in a while soothed me.
That visit led to others, as I returned to the sanctuary whenever my heart felt heavy. Now, I often stop and enter those large wooden doors each week to pause from life's chaos and find a glimmer of hope.
Although I know that God is fully present in my busy workplace or my simple home, I have learned that certain places speak to our souls and reveal God's presence in a way we fail to recognize elsewhere. In moments when I feel alone, I remind myself that God is always as close as I know Him to be when I sit on the wooden pews of that ornate cathedral.Unexpected Peace
Published in "The Secret Place," Summer 2017 Edition
Psalm 139:7 "Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?"
When my alarm began beeping on an early Saturday morning, I blearily remembered volunteering to help with the community meal delivery program. I'd always wanted to volunteer, but life had been a definite struggle lately. An extra hour or two of sleep could have easily been justified.But an hour later, our van loaded with food bags and boxes, two other volunteers and I began navigating the town, knocking on doors, cheerfully greeting each person who answered. Some were talkative; others mumbled "thank you" with sadness displayed in their eyes.
After completing our deliveries, I returned to my car, parked at the church that managed the food program. I eyed the historic edifice and curiously wondered if its doors might be unlocked. When I saw a clergyman enter, I swiftly headed toward the entrance.
When I pushed open the heavy door, silence and beauty quieted my every distraction. I walked breathlessly through the sanctuary, viewing the ornate artistry, biblical sculptures, and depictions of saints and Jesus. I sighed longingly, hoping the door would again be unlocked in the future.A morning of sleep was not what I'd needed after all. Peace had filled my being through hands that touched mine as they were passed a meal, and through the historic, hushed beauty of an unlocked cathedral.
God, remind us that wherever we go, your presence is always with us. Amen.
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