Remembering Space

Sitting here looking at the labyrinth today and enjoying the breeze thru the bamboo and the shade it provides. I have such wonderful memories here, here on a patch of dirt on the side of the house of all places! I just loved my days working in the labyrinth. Not just the physical rock moving and watching it all come together, but how God brought it together and worked on me.

Now, when I pray, I often visualize this space and “walk” it ♥, as a way to focus my heart in conversation with God. Soooo many sweet memories, deep soul searching & soul stretching done here! These days, as God has moved me on to another project of prayer, He has gifted my heart with this space of remembrance.

See, I don’t have the time to tend it and the bamboo has stretched up and the leaves have fallen over the paths, but His Grace extended in that time, extends to now and always. So many lessons learned, but the greatest I think, was/is the lesson of space. It was learning to seek Him and identify the busyness of life and make room for prayer time with Him ev-er-y-day. His time takes priority and everything else flows from that…not the other way around.

Our prayer lives should not be only giving God some list of things we think need to happen. Prayer is a time to sit with Him, enjoy the breeze together, quiet our soul and listen for His still, small voice.

 

Life IS a labyrinth, when you think about it! Our steps of life, centered around God…sometimes we are father away from the Center of His will than we should be, or want to be, but He is always there guiding and calling us home to Himself. He is not moved or shifted by what the world throws at us. Every moment of our lives is about His pulling us towards Him in life lessons of Trust, steps of Faith and God’s unending Love is blanketed (like the bamboo leaves!) all over our every step.

Prayer takes us right to God…no missteps, no faltering…our part is to make the space, no matter the circumstance.      

When Daniel learned that the order had been signed, he went home. In an upstairs room of his house there were windows that faced toward Jerusalem. There, just as he had always done, he knelt down at the open windows and prayed to God three times a day.

Daniel 6:10

You, Lord, give perfect peace
    to those who keep their purpose firm
    and put their trust in You.

Isaiah 26:3

WOW

Thankful for the blessings of WOW moments! Those times in our lives when You grant us a bit of Your vision in things. It is one thing to trust our days with You, to pray and to seek You out in all things, but how wonderful are the WOW moments! Those times we see Your hand so clearly in our circumstance. When we see our trust in Your will being woven into what seemed an overwhelming obstacle that You step in and move.

He has given me a new song to sing,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what He has done and be amazed.
    They will put their trust in the Lord.

Psalm 40:3

Oh the double blessing of praise! To thank You for the answered prayer and the how of the answer! Your merciful reminder that nothing catches You unaware. That the “hows” and the “whys” of our lives are already written out, planned for and fulfilled in the Love You have for us...

Your Wonderfully Omniscient Will.

Thank You for the blessing of WOW and may our hearts be open to the blessing of more WOWs in our everyday, as we look to see You in the details of every moment, the sweetness of every breath and the wonderful manifestations of trust in You…WOW

You, Lord, give perfect peace
    to those who keep their purpose firm
    and put their trust in You.

Isaiah 26:3

Intently

Just had to share this! Don’t know how many times I’ve heard this passage taught, but the other day it just jumped off the pages at me…I never tire of God bringing new things to the forefront!

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

Mark 10:27

The disciples had just asked Jesus…”who in the world can be saved?” and the verse above is His answer. BUT before the answer, I can just imagine the hush. In that breath before His answer, He looked at them intently ~ Jesus did. He didn’t need to look intensely at their clothes, or dirt on their feet --- He looked at them.

“Search my heart, O God” kinda look. Jesus always looks at the me that matters. He sees past the clothes we wear, the appearances we put up and the “dirt” in our life ~ He sees our heart…intently. And He reminds us “all things are possible” with Him. He makes all things new, He restores our lives to be lived out for His purpose. So, “who can be saved?”, we ask? Those who have allowed God full access to their heart and soul to be gazed upon intently by His Grace and changed for forever. Because as Jesus said, “with God, everything is possible.”

There is so much to growing in our relationship with God, too! Many think they are doing something wrong if life doesn’t go along smoothly, or somehow we have to be perfect…but in Isaiah it says…

You, Lord, give perfect peace
    to those who keep their purpose firm
    and put their trust in You.

Isaiah 26:3

One of the many things I have learned in the whole process of our labyrinth is that Peace is not circumstantial. It is not found in people, or places (the labyrinth), or in plans. So, where to look? Where to find Peace, actual Peace: Only within. Looking within, truly seeking after the Lord. We need to put Him in charge of it all.

Lord, search within my heart. YOU reveal the things that I have placed before Your will, the circumstances that I have somehow defined as “revealing You”, that really aren’t You at all. All of those things, activities and interactions that become idols to my behaviour ~ reveal them, remove them from any pedestal I have created within and bring Peace to overflow to others. Infuse my purpose with Yours. May we be Your hands and feet to serve and to love others as Christ and in that offering, may they come to experience Your perfect Peace.

Steps Outside

You should see the labyrinth now! The bamboo leaves cover the paths inches deep, like a big blanket! I, quite peacefully, do not feel any compulsion to go clean it all up, either. I see with different eyes now. God used that time of building and clearing out the space and I knew that then…but see it more clearly now. He spoke sweetly, with healing Grace into a fragile time and moved me forward, literally step by step. When I look at this blanket of bamboo all I see is His covering of every moment, His provision…His Path, amazingly peace-filled.

Scripture speaks of “seasons of life”, the places You take us, Lord and how You teach us new ways to experience Your presence in our earth-bound state. You have lifted my gaze, following the lines of the bamboo heavenward and reminded me, thru Your creation, of the beauties that are to be experienced thru You.

Blooms above the roof tops, the song of the Mourning Dove and the morning light that glistens on the dew.

I will forever have this labyrinth in my heart & mind (and I hope by the side of our home) In the lessons learned and the gifts of Grace, You reminded me of Truths, You restored and healed my broken heart. You, Lord have opened new paths to all of us, beyond the labyrinth, to serve and to live out Your Grace to others.

Life is a labyrinth, really…we just do not see the paths laid out so clearly. Yet, every moment is lovingly covered by Your blanket of Grace…constantly falling as the bamboo, to cover our life’s path with Yours.

God is wise and powerful!
    Praise Him forever and ever.
 He controls the times and the seasons;

He makes and unmakes kings;

it is He who gives wisdom and understanding.

He reveals things that are deep and secret;

He knows what is hidden in darkness,

and He Himself is surrounded by Light.
Daniel 2:20-22 GNT