The God of every place, by Lucy Mills
This originally appeared as a Finding Inspiration column in the Autumn 2013 edition of Christian Writer, under the title 'Uncontainable God'.
Place was very important to the people of Israel. They saw the temple as the place where God could be found – or at least, where they could communicate with him.
In 1 Kings 8, Solomon dedicates the newly constructed temple in prayer. Note how much significance there is in "praying towards this place". But Solomon makes a very important caveat: “Will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!”
Nevertheless, the temple was to be the great connector between heaven and earth. When Israel was sent into exile, this challenged everything she knew about herself. The people had to learn that their God was not just the God of one special place but the God of every place.
Think about the places that inspire you, and about the places that don't. How can we turn the latter into the former? It's good to have a special place for writing or spending time with God; these associations can be very helpful to us. But perhaps, like the people of Israel, we need to learn that God is the God of every place. Look around you.
You may not think that your writing space is ideal; you may not think it’s a place of inspiration, or a place for hearing God. But perhaps we need to look a little harder for glimpses of God where we least expect him.
After all, Solomon could not conceive of God dwelling on earth. And yet…he did. In an extraordinary, history-changing way, the Word of God set up his home among us. He became the new temple, where heaven and earth meet.
Now that’s inspiring.
Lucy Mills
Lucy's first book, Forgetful Heart: remembering God in a distracted world, was published in 2014 by Darton, Longman and Todd (DLT). She's written articles, poetry and prayers for various publications and is an editor at magnet magazine. www.lucy-mills.com
In 1 Kings 8, Solomon dedicates the newly constructed temple in prayer. Note how much significance there is in "praying towards this place". But Solomon makes a very important caveat: “Will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!”
Nevertheless, the temple was to be the great connector between heaven and earth. When Israel was sent into exile, this challenged everything she knew about herself. The people had to learn that their God was not just the God of one special place but the God of every place.
Think about the places that inspire you, and about the places that don't. How can we turn the latter into the former? It's good to have a special place for writing or spending time with God; these associations can be very helpful to us. But perhaps, like the people of Israel, we need to learn that God is the God of every place. Look around you.
You may not think that your writing space is ideal; you may not think it’s a place of inspiration, or a place for hearing God. But perhaps we need to look a little harder for glimpses of God where we least expect him.
After all, Solomon could not conceive of God dwelling on earth. And yet…he did. In an extraordinary, history-changing way, the Word of God set up his home among us. He became the new temple, where heaven and earth meet.
Now that’s inspiring.
***
Lucy MillsLucy's first book, Forgetful Heart: remembering God in a distracted world, was published in 2014 by Darton, Longman and Todd (DLT). She's written articles, poetry and prayers for various publications and is an editor at magnet magazine. www.lucy-mills.com
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We had a sermon in which it was pointed out, today, that Moses pitched his tent outside the camp, in order to meet with God. But actually it was just as possible to meet with God inside the camp - where, as John's epistle seems to indicate, there was disagreement going on. So,within or without, God is everywhere ...and we can meet with him, and ...better together than apart the sermon suggested! I think that might be off the point, though ... :-) Useful post!
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