Spacious Places

I called out to the Lord in distress;

the Lord answered me and put me in a spacious place.

...

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

Psalm 118:5, 8 (HCSB)

In times of distress and troubles, what or whom do you place your trust in?

Do you place your trust in your own strength, relying on yourself to 'handle it'?

Do you place your trust in others, relying upon them to rescue you from your problems?

Or is there some 'thing' that you fall back upon time after time, something other than God?

I mean, when it really boils down to it, where is your trust?  What or who do you rely upon the VERY MOST in times of trouble?   

If you want to really know what you trust the most, simply take a look at your initial reaction during a crisis.  What is your first instinct?  Does your immediate reaction or thoughts have anything to do with God, even if for a split second?  Or do you immediately turn to someone or something of this world, without even a thought of God until much later on?  Do you follow God's tugging in one direction in a situation, or do you follow the familiar stand by that's worked before but that isn't necessarily the best solution?  I understand that under some circumstances we must react quickly, especially if lives are at stake.  However, if our initial thoughts or actions seek out others and never once reflect on seeking God's help in the situation, we might not have our trust in the right place.

When we trust in God first and foremost as our refuge and strength, He WILL answer our prayers!  And not only that, HE SETS us up in SPACIOUS PLACES!  Now my idea of a spacious place is one where I can spread out, relax, and experience peaceful restoration - no one pressing in on me, imposing their ideas or human limitations upon me.  Yes, my idea of the spacious place in this passage is one in which God surrounds us completely in His presence - acting as the buffer zone of our lives.  When we are in the midst of the storm, we can count on Him to buffet the wind and the waves!  This spacious place He puts us in enlarges our territory for His work and glory!

In addition, we can view our problems as opportunities for God to position us in a spacious place - a better position where He can fully cultivate us into Christ's image and can utilize us in even greater works!

In God's spacious places we can withstand all that comes up against us.  We can't weather the storms of life without Him.  We can trust HIM as our refuge!

Grace and Peace!
In His Love, Cathy