The Place

Devotional for December 3, 2010

“He refreshes and restores my life (my self);
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
(uprightness and right standing with Him- not for my earning it, but)
for His name’s sake.” Psalm 23:3 (Amplified Bible)

No matter what the season, it seems as if there is always a lot to do. Whether it is a calendar “season” or simply a “season” in our lives that we are going through, I find that “quiet” time is getting harder and harder to find. It seems to me as if the “demands” of life are becoming “louder” and “louder.” I am finding that at times these demands are (almost) all that I can hear.

A very special friend of mine has a meeting that is held once a month. It is called “The Place”. It is a place that you can come to and “set aside” the demands of life for a moment or two. It is a place that focuses on the Lord. There are testimonies given of His goodness. It is a place that “shows” His love through a kaleidoscope of different sizes, colors and backgrounds. His love and goodness is shown through the people whose lives He has touched.

I love this place. It is a place where all are welcome. It is a place where acceptance and love are the norm. There is no need to look for or to try and find a “position” to make you more acceptable. You are accepted, simply because you are there. You are loved, simply because you are you.

This is a place where Jesus is welcomed. This is a place where He is exalted, and lifted up. Not only through the praise songs that we sing, or the testimonies that are heard, but most importantly, through the attitude of those who are there. The attitudes of those who have been personally touched and changed by the Lord are different from any others that I have seen. Where there was once pride, there is now humility. Where there was once hatred, there is now love. Where there was once fear, there is now peace. Where hands were once reaching out to “get”, those same hands are now reaching out to “give”.

What a beautiful place this is. This is the place that we pull away from all that hinders us. This is the place where our perspectives are changed. This is the place where our hearts can become full once again, and a place where our spirits can soar. This is the place where our dreams are allowed to grow, and the place where we find nourishment for all that is parched inside of us. This is the place of restoration. This is the place of abundance, the place of hope, and the place of joy. This is the place where Jesus is.

Now I have been talking about a physical place, but in reality, this “place” is not a building. It is a place where we can “go” to at any time of the day, no matter what our physical location is. It is the place that we go to in our hearts and in our spirits. It is the place where we meet Jesus. It is the place where He is always waiting for us. It is the place that He offers us His comfort, His peace, His wisdom, His love, His confidence, His strength and His perspective. It is a place where we can simply come, no matter what the state of our lives, or even our hearts are in. We do not need to be worried about “covering” up the places that don’t look so good. We do not need to be anything other than who we are, even when we don’t really know who that is, or even when we don’t really like who that is. It is a place where we know that we will be loved.

Thank you Lord, for these “physical” places in our lives that You have prepared ahead of time for us, through your people, those who know You and serve You. But thank you also for the access that You have given to each one of us, into your Presence. Thank you that You have made yourself available to us, and all we have to do is to call out your Name. We know that You are beside us, even before we call. Our only right response to all of this Lord, is to let your “call” become the desire of our hearts. We desire to love others, Lord, because you have first loved us. Help us to do this, we pray.

In Your name, Amen.

Written by Beverley A. Napier