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When God Breaks In



            When I was a kid, I was taught that the temple in Jerusalem was God’s special dwelling place (see 1 Kings 8).  Over time, God’s people became unfaithful to him, so he allowed Jerusalem to be overrun and the temple was destroyed.  The conclusion to that lesson was that there are now no “special holy places” anymore.  But what if that is not the way to see things?

            Consider this:  In Exodus chapter three, Moses is in a desert in the middle of nowhere.  In the distance, he sees a bush that is on fire, but, strangely, it is not burning up.  When he goes to investigate, God says to him, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground” (verse 5).  Now, why was that ground holy?  Was it because there was something unique and special about that plot of sand?  Of course not!  It was holy because God was there!

            So, instead of thinking that “nothing is holy”, maybe I need to see things through the filter that says, “Since God is here, everything has the potential to be holy.  Everything can be God infused!”   That one change in thinking could change every little thing.

            In fact, based on that sort of thinking, I could show you lots of “holy ground” in Estevan.  I could take you to the leisure centre parking lot and show you the spot where, after hockey one night, a team-mate and I had a “big life conversation” until one in the morning.  I would take you to the hospital and show you rooms where I prayed with people, held newborn babies, or sat with someone as they died.  I would show you the table in a local restaurant where my then-to-be wife and I sat to write our marriage vows.  I could show you the place where several women spend time making quilts to give away to those who need them.  In each case, and many more, something about God was happening there.  You just have to look for it.         

           What I am advocating for here is not a change of circumstances, but rather simply a change of vision.   We do not leave God at the church building on Sunday morning.  Instead, his presence goes with us and that fact allows us to be both a recipient and a conduit of God’s grace and blessing every minute of every day. 

            What if instead of “nothing” being holy, “everything” was?

           “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17)

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