When was the last time you went to a place simply to find peace? When was the last time you got away from the chaos of every day life and took the time and space to just breathe and find some rest for your soul?
Biblical Examples
I believe God uses places in our lives for times of rest and renewal. Look at these examples from the Bible.
Jesus went to a mountain.
Elijah was hidden away in a ravine.
Moses was sent to a desert.
David turned to the hills.
Paul spent three years in the desert.
Jacob was out under the stars when God gave him a vision.
In each of these cases, God prepared a place for his people to stop, rest, and take a moment away. It’s funny to note how each of these places of healing and peace are so vastly different. From a desert to a ravine to a night under the stars, God used these places to help heal his people. And often, he used it as a time to prepare them for what was coming next.
For Elijah, it came before his showdown with the prophets of Baal. Moses spent forty years in the desert before God used him to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. Paul spent time in the desert before his ministry really got going. God often uses these times of obscurity before he moves us into the next phase of what he has for us.
Sometimes, though, these places were a continual source of peace. Jesus often got up early and went out to a mountaintop to pray and receive strength for the ministry ahead. David would turn frequently “to the hills” or to creation to find peace and solitude.
A Change of Place
There is something about a change of place that can change our thinking. It can encourage us, give us motivation to keep going. Often, it can give us inspiration to think through something new—a new concept, a new dream. It’s a time when we’re open to change. Our minds are not quite as full, and God can use that time to show us something new.
I can look back so many times in our lives when God used a place to find rest and peace and strength for the journey ahead. It’s been in these places of peace that God has often showed us the next step. Maybe it’s as simple as a change of schedule we need to make or a new ministry to start. Other times, it’s been something much bigger—a move, a change of direction, a new stage of life.
When we are so busy with every-day life, it’s pretty hard to pull out and look at your life. It’s hard to see what God would have you do differently or change. It’s when we go to these places of peace that we can find rest and the time to be able to mentally process what God is doing, how he’s working.
Places of Peace
There are so many places of peace. Here are some of the places God has used in our lives over the years. Some of them seem so simple or even slightly ridiculous. Yet, God has used each of these places and spaces to work in our lives. It’s a twenty-five hour car ride across the country in which God has shown us that it’s time to move. It’s a quiet coffee house, sitting across from each other that we dream and talk about what we believe God wants us to do next.
- a coffee shop
- a lake
- a hotel room
- a rental house
- a book store
- a car ride
- a sunset
- an early morning at the beach
- a walk on a trail through the woods
- a nice restaurant
Sometimes, it’s been a simple coffee shop. Other times, it’s been a few days in a private room in the middle of Amish country. In each of these cases, God has prepared a place for us to get away, find rest, and find renewal.
Coffeeshop in Lancaster
There’s a coffee shop in Amish country here in Pennsylvania that is a place of peace for us. It’s a bright, sunny, wide-open space with exposed wood beams, a fireplace, and beautiful hand-crafted tables. There’s always quiet music playing, and there’s sort of a reverent hush in the shop. They also sell gluten free scones and have amazing coffee, so it’s pretty much a win-win for us. But it’s in this coffee shop that we often take journals and sometimes our Bibles. We sit in the quiet with a good coffee and the sun warming us through the large windowpanes and talk and dream about what God has next.
The Beach
Another place for us is the beach. We rent a house near the beach once a year with Matt’s family. Every morning, Matt and I get up early and walk over to the beach to see the sunrise. Every morning. Why? Because that’s a place where we feel peace; we feel God’s presence. We don’t usually talk while we watch the sun come up; it’s this experience of awe and amazement as you watch the sky change with the colors of predawn that all culminate in that moment the sun breaks through the horizon.
After that, we often take a long walk to a coffee shop to grab a coffee and continue the walk back to the house. We use that time to connect, to talk about how things are going, to talk about what’s next.
Time Away
When was the last time you found a place of peace? A place to get away, to take a break from everything you’re used to, and to find a new place. It’s often in a new place that God shakes us up and shows us something we’ve been searching for.
If you feel like your life is confusing right now; if you can’t make sense of life…maybe it’s time for a change of place just for a little bit. It doesn’t mean you have to move right now, although God could be pushing you in that direction. Often, we get too busy in the pressure of every day life—our jobs, housework, the kids, church and ministry, taxes, bills, endless meal planning, laundry, co-workers, neighbors…On and on the list goes. It’s not until we get away from it all in a quiet place that God can get ahold of us and really begin to show us what he has in store for us.
Where are your places of peace?
More Encouragement
For more encouragement, check out my post Our Colorado Trip and the Ark Encounter to read about what this looks like in real time.
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