“Of all the places you’ve lived, which one is your favorite?”
It was a casual conversation and a question I’ve been asked many times. Impossible to answer.
So I said the usual: “There’s something special about each one.”
But over the next days I reflected on the significance of place in our lives. What is it that lodges a certain location in our hearts and minds?
And I began to notice place in God’s Word.
Moses
Take Exodus 3, for instance. Moses was on the far side of the wilderness at the foot of a mountain called “Desolation” (Mt. Horeb).
Not exactly on anyone’s list of Top 10 Favorite Destinations.
But that was the place of the burning bush and the holy ground. Where Moses heard the voice of God calling his name.
There he began a journey with the Holy One that is still being talked about today.
Hard place
If you had asked me in the early 1990s, “Is Karachi, Pakistan, your favorite?” I would have said, “Are you crazy?”
Desert heat. Power outages. Water shortages.
Frequent strikes and shutdowns in the midst of violence and civil unrest. Mistreatment of women.
It was hard. But slowly, surely that desert megacity became a treasured place.
Why?
Why?
- I learned to praise the Lord in a foreign land.
- I discovered more deeply who He is, as I cried out “Teach me Your ways, that I may know You!” (Exodus 33:13).
- The ugliness of my pride was exposed, revealing a divided heart that hindered wholehearted trust and obedience. A necessary humbling took place. (Psalm 86:11)
- I began to see beyond the brown and grey of the city and found beauty in the culture and its desert setting. (Psalm 16:5-6)
- Cross-cultural friendships developed that taught and challenged and encouraged me.
And so much more.
Treasured place
Treasured place. Karachi? Yes. But it didn’t happen overnight.
If we had moved away after a couple of years I couldn’t have said that. But we stayed until He led us to a new place 8 years later.
And one day I was able to say with the psalmist, “You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11 ESV).
That was the key. Learning to abide in Christ through prayer and the Word.
Learning to daily seek and rely on the One who is my spacious place, my true Home. The Lord God Almighty.
What about you?
What’s your treasured place?
Related
Temporary place – Safest place – Naming places – Secret place – Teach me Your way – Exodus 3 – Exodus 33:13 – Psalm 16:5-6 – Psalm 16:11 – Psalm 86:11 –
Note–During the month of August I’m taking my annual break from weekly posting. This was originally published on November 28, 2017.