A very old one-room schoolhouse in Ohio will always be a sacred place to me. I'm convinced that it's the one place where I heard the only audible voice of God that He has spoken to me to date.
A very common place became a sacred place to Abraham because of his encounter with the Lord there. The Lord spoke to Abraham through three angelic beings who were sent to him on a two-fold mission: to announce the promise of the birth of a son and to reveal God's judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah.
"Now the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day.When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth," (Genesis 18:1-2)
"Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the LORD." (Genesis 18:22)
"Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the LORD" (Genesis 19:27)
Abraham returned to the very place where he had undeniably encountered the living God. No reason is given for his return but it seems safe to speculate. If he had encountered God there once, perhaps he might encounter him there again. Or perhaps he returned to the sacred place to be reminded of the experience and to gain a perspective on it.
While perhaps not as dramatic as Abraham's experience, each of us have had a very real encounter with God in a particular place. For many it occurred in a specific place in a church building. I know of someone who even told about a life-changing encounter with God while leaning on a utility pole at a camp.
The danger is to turn the location of spiritual encounters into personal sacred shrines. When we do not differentiate the experience from the location we erect an idol that becomes a spiritual hindrance rather than a help.
How God chooses to speak and reveal Himself to us is appropriate to our need and personality. It's important to savor the moment and ponder the significance but enshrining the event and location forever locks God in it, from our perspective.
Abraham went on to walk with God and experience Him in a variety of ways; even through the ultimate testing of his faith. Rather than enshrining his encounter with God. it served as a tool for his spiritual growth and adventure of faith. Such is God's plans for our encounters with Him.
Steve
A very common place became a sacred place to Abraham because of his encounter with the Lord there. The Lord spoke to Abraham through three angelic beings who were sent to him on a two-fold mission: to announce the promise of the birth of a son and to reveal God's judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah.
"Now the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day.When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth," (Genesis 18:1-2)
"Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the LORD." (Genesis 18:22)
"Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the LORD" (Genesis 19:27)
Abraham returned to the very place where he had undeniably encountered the living God. No reason is given for his return but it seems safe to speculate. If he had encountered God there once, perhaps he might encounter him there again. Or perhaps he returned to the sacred place to be reminded of the experience and to gain a perspective on it.
While perhaps not as dramatic as Abraham's experience, each of us have had a very real encounter with God in a particular place. For many it occurred in a specific place in a church building. I know of someone who even told about a life-changing encounter with God while leaning on a utility pole at a camp.
The danger is to turn the location of spiritual encounters into personal sacred shrines. When we do not differentiate the experience from the location we erect an idol that becomes a spiritual hindrance rather than a help.
How God chooses to speak and reveal Himself to us is appropriate to our need and personality. It's important to savor the moment and ponder the significance but enshrining the event and location forever locks God in it, from our perspective.
Abraham went on to walk with God and experience Him in a variety of ways; even through the ultimate testing of his faith. Rather than enshrining his encounter with God. it served as a tool for his spiritual growth and adventure of faith. Such is God's plans for our encounters with Him.
Steve
posted by steve @ 9:55 AM
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