I am reading “Holier Than Thou” by Jackie Hill Perry, and I love how she explains that the burning bush was not a holy place; the presence of the Living God made the place holy. It got me thinking about what that looked like in my life. Where am I creating the opportunity for God to meet with me? It’s not just the quiet time we carve out for Him that exclusively schedules a moment with God. How am I building sacred moments throughout my day that give space for an encounter with Yahweh, the great I am? Just like Moses going about his daily routines of tending sheep, I can give way for God to fill my space with His sacred presence.
The Oxford Dictionary defines “sacred” as a connection to God, leaving me with the thought that I can find openings that are soaked in His presence throughout my day because He is always with me. As it says in Zephaniah 3 v17… “The Lord your God is in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” God is with us! It’s so easy to sing about (especially at Christmas), and the words literally roll off the tongue like Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, but the simple fact is there is nowhere we can go from His presence. It says it in black and white, the whole of Psalm 139 is saturated with this truth… “You have searched me and known me, You know my sitting, You understand my thoughts, You know my ways. Where can I flee from your presence, heaven, hell, the morning, the depths of the sea, or the darkest of nights? Even there, you will find me!”
Therefore, if God is everywhere, all-knowing, omnipotent, and promised never to leave me, why can I spend so much of my day feeling disconnected from Him? It’s like I come into this holy space and encounter His presence during quiet time, and then as soon as I enter the world, it slips out through the back door, and I’m not even aware it’s left until something happens, and I’m running round searching for it!
I think it’s about our position in relation to God that can feel so disconnected, not God’s position in relation to us. What I mean by that is I think that the shifts and turns of our day can quite easily take us off center, distractions and relationships take our focus, and before we know it, we are flapping out there in the great big ocean of life confused, dripping in fear, questioning Gods presence and His character. We have moved. Not Him. Ultimately, I need to be mindful and intentional and work to maintain boundaries to keep specific spaces sacred. I see it like cave diving without a tank. There are pockets of air along your route where you can come up for oxygen and rejuvenate your lungs to keep navigating your underwater terrain. Pockets of air could look like sacred spaces!
What does this look like practically, (we all love a good practical application) where in my day can I come up for life-giving air, to reconnect and position myself to encounter His Holy presence? In the mornings is a great start, but it’s not an exclusive moment. Equally, my prayer list is a necessity, but I can talk to Him throughout my day. Thanking Him, including Him, and conversing with Him. Seizing moments at work to lay my laptop down, take some deep breaths in and out, and become mindful of His presence in me and around me is an intentional move toward the sacred. I guess it’s looking at the route and mapping out the air pockets. What does your day look like? Where can I practice that boundary, how long can I give Him, and how important is my position in relation to HIM?
I want to be more intentional about these pockets of air as I navigate my day. Giving Him sacred space so that He can not only give me the oxygen I need to get through my day but, like Moses, position myself to encounter the extraordinary, the Holy ground moments within the ordinary bushes of life!