A Space Of Our Own

Our wonderful and majestic God dreamed of a place in which we could enjoy His love and the love of one another. Yet no sooner was the plan begun than the forces of evil ran amok, creating chaos out of the good things that God had begun to create. So, He stretched out His mighty arm and in the picture language so familiar to those first hearers, He pushed back the waters into the heavens and under the earth – holding back the evil that sin had permitted. And then, He swept the waters that were left aside to create dry land – space for a paradise in which we could begin.

But that same sin that Satan had introduced contaminated that place too as mankind chose allegiance to the Father of lies rather than loving relationship with the Father of lights. In so doing, we exiled ourselves from that wonderful place, moving outside of the protective canopy of God’s safety and into the maelstrom of Satan’s fury. Nevertheless, God continued to extend His hand and not only protected us from the worst ravages of demonic and human choices, but instigated a plan to gain for us a new space.

The OT story is the metaphor of a nation journeying from exile to a new homeland, the new space that God had created for them. A journey signposted by faith and the Kingdom values embodied in the Ten Commandments, a journey punctuated by God’s withholding of evil; even when the sin of the world required God to remove Hs hand and allow the waters to deluge the earth, He mitigated the effect by providing a way of salvation. Then, when the enemy had entrapped the people in the wrong space, He frees them by holding back the waters of the Red Sea before allowing them to pour down on those the enemy had seduced. And finally, they crossed the Jordan, into the land of promise, into the spacious place God had crafted, on dry land, as once again, the waters of evil were held apart.

And we too are a people distant from the place of wholeness and rest, the place of peace that God has crafted for us. Our sin and the sin of others has led us into exile and removed us from the protective hand of God. Blinded, we don’t even see the hand of the enemy, pulling the strings of our will, pressing the buttons of our emotions, distorting the logic of our minds. We fail to notice that we are subject to his plans, plans to destroy us, plans to rob us of all that God had lovingly prepared, plans, ultimately to kill us and everything we hold dear.

But our beautiful Saviour has come to journey with us, to take us by the hand and lead us into green pastures, by waters that are supernaturally calmed and without malice, to bring us to a new place of peace and wholeness. And He demonstrates it in that small boat adrift on the ferocious sea. He has promised by His presence, to be with them, He has given them His word – that they are going to the other side of the lake and when the enemy seeks to do what he always does – to kill, Jesus rebukes and as He has so often, holds back the terror, resists the evil and pushes back the waters to create safe passage. And in so doing, creates space for Legion to be freed of demonic oppression, the woman to be freed of her illness and isolation and a girl to be raised from the dead and restored to her grieving parents. That’s what happens in the space God has created for us – life abounds, death has no part, sickness and oppression have to flee.

And there is still the opportunity for us to experience that place – not only in its glorious fulness when all things are restored, but right now:

“So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God”


Welcome His presence, trust in His word, enjoy His loving kindness.

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