Finding A Sacred Space

“And listen to the pleas of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place.” – 2 Chronicles 6:21

One of the losses we bear during this time are spaces. We’ve lost classrooms and operating rooms, sanctuaries and stores. Some of those spaces can be recreated: we converted a bedroom into an office space where Dave can do video visits with patients privately. We divided our dining table into four sections with tape so the kids have desks for their schoolwork. It’s temporary, but it works.

Solomon’s temple was temporary, too. Jewish historian Josephus notes, “the temple was burnt four hundred and seventy years, six months, and ten days after it was built.” But there is still something profound and moving in reading about its construction and dedication, about the attention to detail that was given, about the moment when God’s glory filled it like a cloud in the midst of which no one could stand. It’s a reminder that God choosing to dwell with us is not something to be taken for granted, and that there is beauty and holiness to be found in the places he inhabits.

God dwells within us, now. We don’t have to go to a particular place to find him. But I think there’s still something significant about having a sacred space. It’s a declaration of intention. It’s an illustration of holiness. It’s a reminder of God’s constancy. Having a space we have either created or found, that we can set aside for God, that we can return to, that we can fill with the marks or memories of His presence, is even more important now that we’ve lost the ability to gather in churches and retreat centers. On a neighborhood walk the other day, I found a corner by a wall behind some bushes, where probably no one ever went. I sat down in the overgrown grass, and suddenly all I could see was sky and foliage, and it was like I could breathe again for a moment, like I could see in that little space the bigness of God, so much outside of my daily struggles. When I’m indoors, I go to a corner by a window with a rug and some pillows and a few of my favorite things. I keep a candle there I can light when I’m alone to say, “God, here I am. Here you are.” 

Where are your spaces? This is a good time to create or find one, to let the boundaries we now live in bring renewed creativity and intentionality when it comes to finding a sacred space.