The day was glorious, full of sunshine and light, full of fellowship and a strong sense of belonging. It was all the more significant to me because I was not in my home church. I was in a beautiful little church in a tiny village in Nova Scotia Canada. And I felt right at home.We sang a few songs, led by the pastor and a worship band, then one of the leaders stood to talk about all the upcoming events at the church. He did so with a flourish that made us laugh often. Then he grew a bit more serious and said he knew of an old Scottish legend about "thin spots." They are described as places where we sense we are close to heaven. He sincerely hoped we would all feel that we'd been in a "thin spot" by the end of the service.
I realized at that moment that we were already in that place, whether or not we were all feeling it. No doubt there were people there who were not - people who were feeling dry spiritually, people who were angry with one another, people who were angry with God. No doubt there were people there whose pain blocked any sense of heaven whatsoever.
But that does not change the reality. Jesus promised - "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:20). When God's people gather to praise Him, we not only draw close to heaven, God comes to us - He is in our midst! What an amazing thought.
Even more amazing is the reality that He is always with us - not just when we're in a church building, not just when we're singing songs of praise. He is with us when we're dry and angry and so overcome by pain that we can't see or hear or feel anything else. He is right there beside us, waiting for us to turn to Him, waiting for us to acknowledge Him, waiting for us to cry out to Him. And He will never walk away. We are His people. He is our God.
Everywhere is a "thin spot." Glory be to God.
Beautiful! I'm going to have to remember this phrase, "Thin Spots", very cool.
ReplyDelete"Thin spot" that's a good description of the place. Once I'm there I never want to be anywhere else. Then carelessly I'll drift into a thick spot, so I call out, and there He is thinning things out.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I just read "One Smooth Stone" and appreciate the story and the way it is written. Scenes of it keep coming back to me.
I've been captivated by the concept of "thin spots" for a few years now, and want always to be there. And, like you say, God is always close by. This is a very good reminder for me at a time when the thin spots seem very thick, indeed.
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