God, I need you today.
Friday, June 18th, 2010
The warm humid air of the waterside growth.
The rich undergrowth begins to draw me to breathe in God’s provision of life.
Ps. 10:14
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand.
The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.
Matt. 6:30
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Matt. 7:9-11
Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him
During some counseling I received several years ago I talked about how I hadn’t felt safe in my life lately. Actually, I realized that I hadn’t felt very safe at any point in my life at all!
Relationships were very challenging at this point because I was feeling particularly threatened in some very significant places. We discussed some of the challenges I was experiencing but I didn’t know how I could deal with them because of my lack of feeling secure or safe enough to face them. So my counselor asked me to ponder some of the times in my life I had felt safe.
His request was a real challenge for me to think about. But quickly I came up with one time when I was about 5 years old and I felt warm, comforted, at peace and yes, safe. He wanted me to think about more of those times and to learn to utilize the visual memories in my prayer life. He asked me to take one particular one and to meditate on it and then to invite Jesus to come into the place with me. I went home and prayed and meditated on several places that were similar to the first one.
When I lived in Northern California I realy appreciated its beauty, and the incredible opportunities to visit nationally known places. I liked seeing the ocean on occasion and some of my best Christian growth memories come from the eight years I lived there. In response to my assignment, I was quickly drawn to some of the most awesome times I had in Northern California.
One very significant place that I enjoyed very much was spending time in the middle of the redwood forests. Oh, boy, I can almost smell the humid air right now. I think of the towering trees, and the incredibly soft “carpet” on the ground below from the softened needles that spread out to cover almost all of the barren ground under their shade.
(These photographs are from Samuel P. Taylor Park where my safe place actually came from.)
I had a particularly difficult challenge that I was facing so I wanted to use the new tool of my visual and sensory images to bring some safety to my prayer when I had something very serious to ask God about. He quickly led me to the redwood forests. I pondered them in my eyes, brought up the smells and the deafening sounds of the soft movement of the trees above. The trickling of the little creek beside me. My heart began to open up wider to go to the Lord with my needs at that time. I was really anxious and desperately needed to hear from the Lord.
“God, what should I do?” “I feel so overwhelmed and insecure about making this decision.”
So, I asked God to take me to one of the safe places I had discovered. I began to visualize taking a walk through the forest and I imagined God walking with me. We walked slowly as I looked around and drank up the gift of the forest into my heart. Soon, it appeared we sat down on a picnic table that was close by. As we sat there God began to ask me some questions.
“John, remember what you learned about the redwoods when you were there?”
“I said, “yes”, they are fed from the moist air because they have very shallow roots and they are designed for this arid climate. They only grow on the east side of the hills next to the ocean because the fog rolls over the tops of the hills onto the soft needles of the redwoods. They also grow in clumps because it is hard for a redwood to catch enough moisture by itself and it is better when there are many together.”
God replied, “John, that is the way I feed my people too. I ask them to hang out together so that they can receive my provision more easily. If you are in close community, you will do better too. You have come to me with questions about what I want you to do, where I want you to go, and what that will look like.”
“I will show you my provision through your community. You will know my will by listening to others around you. Take your requests, your burdens to them and you will find my provision there.”
It was just amazing! I felt so affirmed, I felt heard, I felt hopeful! God didn’t answer me at the moment because it appeared He wanted me to go to His people for my questions to be answered. He seemed to be more interested in my relationship with others. Sure, He could have given me a direct answer but instead He wanted to use His body to help me.
The coolest thing about it all was that my prayer life was deeply enhanced through this experience. My prayer wasn’t a litany of requests that I brought to the “Great Answer Giver in the Sky”. Rather, it was a quiet walk with my Lord in one of my favorite places in the world and I didn’t even have to get on a plane to get there. Visiting the redwood forests with Jesus became a place of comfort, solitude, a place of provision for me.
Where is your safe place? Once you find it, invite Jesus to join you.
Humm, where will I go with Him today?
(c) John J. Smid 2010