LOOKING INTO THE PROMISED LAND
LOOKING INTO THE PROMISED LAND
As I write this devotional, I am at a desk looking down a series of valleys to snow topped mountains in Whistler. It is magnificent and we are here at a generous friend’s mountain home, to retreat, reflect and plan for the fall.
There is a quote, which has been attributed to Pierre Teilhard de Chardin which I was directed to by a Spiritual Director.
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
This same Director also shared with me about Joshua standing and looking into the Promised Land after a lifetime of journeying, which I have been reflecting on up here at Whistler. It was a land that had been prepared for the Israelites. It was a land that Joshua had some knowledge about, though very minimal. It was a land that God would direct him into and be there for him as he guided, protected through words like be courageous and trust Me.
As we age, we also are brought to a Promised Land, a liminal space, where we have not been before and yet having some knowledge of as we watch others ahead of us and their experiences. I am not talking about Heaven, rather the land before us as we prepare to move through into what God has prepared for us, just through that thin veil.
As I have written on before, it is a “thin space” where we do experience God’s special Presence and in the words of a close friend who is in this land, and struggling with serious health risks, “I have never been closer to God!”
Romans 11: 33 is a great verse for us in this Liminal Promised Land space.
“Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God?” The Message
Oh, I need to live into this verse and trust God, who has been at work preparing this Land for me and hang onto His extravagant generosity and remember His words for Joshua are also for me.
“Be strong and courageous, for I will never leave you nor forsake you!”
I pray these are words for thought and encouragement to you, my readers. I leave you with six pieces of landscape, I want in my Promised Land.
A landscape of peace and quiet, which I experience in solitude
A landscape of rest, which I experience through an intentional Sabbath
A landscape of special communion with God, which I experience through times of devotional and prayer
A landscape of love and depth, which I experience though family and special community
A landscape of contentment, which I experience through being generous
A landscape of purpose, which I experience, knowing I was Made for More.
Embrace your Promised Land, knowing it has been established through extravagant generosity and love and you are not alone.
In this new landscape, you are so much more than what you ever have done in the past.
Perhaps our paths will cross as we journey in this thin space.
Bruce
