Not Enough Space - Martin Wiles

He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. Psalm 18:19 NIV

We had a lot; then we had a little.

For a time while I pastored a church in the lower part of South Carolina, my wife and I lived in a church-provided home where we enjoyed 2200 square feet of living area. Since we had collected many antiques over the years, this house gave us room to display all of them. And, of course, loving antiques as we do, we added a few more.

Then I resigned. We moved back to the Upstate of South Carolina and into a patio townhouse with half the space we had enjoyed. Packing 2200 square feet of furniture and other items into 1100 square feet proved impossible. For a while, we rented a storage building to house the overflow. As time passed, we figured we’d never use most of those items, so we began selling. Before long, all we had fit into our smaller living area.

Then we got older and became satisfied with less square footage. Body aches and pains, along with changing life situations, made us happy we only had a small area to care for. It may not have appeared spacious at first, but it slowly transformed before our eyes.

The psalmist gladly said God brought him into a spacious place. Not literally, but spiritually. God rescued him from his enemies—and that gave him enough space. More than he needed—or perhaps wanted.

God has a way of taking us into spacious places. We witness one of His most remarkable ways through forgiveness. Realizing we have sinned against Him, we run to Him through repentance and confession. He graciously grants forgiveness of all our sins—thereby taking us into a spacious place of freedom from condemnation and guilt. Thereafter, His mercy flows daily, keeping our spacious place fresh and vibrant.

Regardless of our life situation, God’s space becomes enough. As my wife and I experienced, God gives a new mindset and a new perspective. What might have looked bad or challenging, we now see with different eyes. We see space where we didn’t see any before.

If life seems crowded, ask God to take you to His spacious place where you see with new eyes.

Prayer: Father, lead us to the spacious place where we realize what You give is all we need.

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