THE SANCTUARY

I entered the sanctuary, excited to be alone with God. As I walked farther and farther into the interior, I was immediately overwhelmed with the beauty of my surroundings. The walls of this sanctuary were ablaze with color....deep crimson, burnt orange, shades of yellow and gold. As I looked above me, the ceiling was a soft blue punctuated by pillows of pure white.

I was not in a building of stained glass, made with human hands.....I was standing in the midst of the woods. There was such a stillness....such a peacefulness...that it caused me to stop and just drink it in. As I stood just basking in being alone in God's presence, I realized that as I looked around, that all my eyes could see was untouched by human hands. It was all His...all created by His hands in His amazing, masterful design!

All week I had been feasting on the beauty of His handiwork! On my way to the farm, I could hardly keep my eyes on the road, the landscape was so beautiful!! It is a 45 minute drive that goes through softfly rolling hills and lots of farms and pastureland with only a house here and there to dot the otherwise untouched landscape. The trees were magnificent in their beauty, as if God were shouting to the world "CAN'T YOU SEE? I AM GOD!! I CREATED ALL OF THIS!! MAN HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ALL THIS BEAUTY!!!" I was struck by the magnificence of the colors and thought of how creative God is...another of His many attributes! Have you ever taken the time to really look at the many beautiful colors in the fall leaves? They are just amazing!! And each one of those originated with GOD!! (Now for some of you that may come as a shock, but colors did NOT orignate with Mr. Crayola!! )


"And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." Luke 19:40 Every leaf on every tree was crying out in worship of the Master Designer, Holy God!! What a testimony to His awesomeness!!


As I stood there, truly worshipping our Creator God, I was keenly aware of the stillness and silence....yet it was not void of sound. The silence of the woods is unique. It was so still that you were keenly aware of even the slightest sound. I heard something and turned just in time to see a leaf dance softly to the ground. A crunch! I looked and as I peered through the trees in the distance I could see movement. A deer's body slowly making its way through the trees. I stood as still as a tree, wondering just how long I could fake him (or her) out as I stood there in the middle of the path in my blaze orange jacket and hat! Then another crunch to the other side of me, then a rustling in the leaves. A rabbit? A squirrel? Another deer? I saw something move, but was not sure what. I was an intruder in their home. I was a visitor in this holy sanctuary.

I understand perfectly why our guys LOVE the woods so!! It is their sanctuary too. They have each spoken of how God speaks to them there...how they sense His presence in such a real way in that holy place.

I could have stood there for much longer, but the beauty beckoned me to travel deeper into the woods and down the leaf strewn path. Each step of the journey was met with new sights and sounds and that ever-present stillness. Each bend in the road provided new scenery, smells and delights. How I thanked God for the opportunity to be in that place, to drink in the beauty He had created for my pleasure, and to sense His delight as I enjoyed all that He had created.