Jun 26, 2019
by Scott Hausrath
By the time this is published, I will have recently taken a short vacation. Lord willing, during the third week of June I will enjoy a road trip through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.
On Sabbath of that week, I’ll hopefully be in Indiana, 775 miles away from my home church—so I won’t be worshiping God within the context of my own church family. Nor will I be experiencing the wonderful fellowship of a group of people whom I’ve known and loved for years. Can I still experience the blessings of Sabbath when I’m in a totally different context?
As I’m asking myself this question, I realize that my perspective is skewed. Asking the “Can I?” question means that I’m trying to assess my own ability to do something. The truth, however, is that I hold no sway over Sabbath blessings. These blessings come not from me, but from God. Yes, sometimes He uses me to provide a blessing for someone else, but even then I am not the author of the blessing—I am the vehicle through which the blessing is provided.
Perhaps these are more appropriate questions to ask myself: Do I believe that God can bless me wherever I am? Do I also believe that God can use me to bless someone else, wherever that person is? Since I truly believe that God is unlimited in His abilities, my answer to both these questions is a resounding “Yes!” I think, therefore, that my primary role that Sabbath in Indiana will be the same as it is every Sabbath in North Loup—to position myself to receive and share God’s blessings.
How can I position myself to receive and share God’s Sabbath blessings when I’m 775 miles away from home? My answer is totally dependent on my answer to one more question: Do I believe that I can pack Jesus into my car at the beginning of my trip, in Nebraska, and pull Him out of my luggage at various locations along the way—or do I believe that Jesus already inhabits every location along the way?
In the past I often viewed myself, a Christian, as a delivery man. I believed that one of my roles was to deliver the presence of God to people. I would “bring the bling” by talking with people about God, and also by praying with them.
Lately, however, I’m understanding more and more my inability, as a mere human, to deliver to someone the presence of the Divine. After all, if I really believe Scripture, God is already present everywhere. For example, Psalm 139 asks the question of where can we flee in order to escape His presence? The answer is an emphatic “Nowhere!”—God is everywhere. (Psalm 139:7-12)
Instead of thinking that I can bring God into a place where He was previously absent, I’m learning to experience the truth that God is already present in every place, whether at home or far away. During that Sabbath in Indiana, therefore, I’m going to focus on His presence. I’m going to acknowledge Him as the one who is enabling me to enjoy my vacation. He is the Creator of the day I’ll be experiencing. He is the Creator of the location I’ll be inhabiting. He is the Creator of the people who will be sharing the day with me. He is the one who will be blessing us with the food, the music, and the fellowship we’ll be enjoying. He’ll provide for us a palette filled with rich blessings. The richest blessing will be His own presence amid these blessings.
During that Sabbath in Indiana, I will focus on receiving and sharing God’s blessings. The location and the people may be unfamiliar to me—but the Giver of the blessings will be very familiar. I would recognize Him anywhere.
I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
—Psalm 139:7 NLT
