by Sue Tholken
“I would flee far away and stay in the desert; Selah. I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.” Psalm 55:7-8
I am sitting in my shelter, which is a mobile home in the deserts of southern California, in the middle of a sand storm. We listened to the wind howl all night and wondered what possessions were flying around outside like missiles in the wild wind. While we felt quite safe, it was still intimidating, as all storms of life are. We do not like losing control of our lives or our environments.
In the morning, the sun was shinning but it exposed a thick haze of sand still blowing around, and the beautiful mountains, once visible from our front windows, were obscured from view. Our connection to the outside world, the satellite dish, had blown over in the night, giving us a greater feeling of isolation. I touched the counter tops to begin breakfast preparation. How could this be? A thin layer of sand had invaded our home even though the windows and doors were shut tight. Upon close examination, everything had this thin layer of fine sand on it and I knew that I had my work cut out for me cleaning, thoroughly deep cleaning after the storm abated.
My mind quickly shifted to my life and thought about the sin in our lives and the way it gets in no matter how tight the barriers we think we have placed against it. We can do all the “right things“, read the Bible, pray constantly, go to church, tithe, evangelize, do good to all and still the “fine sand-sin” slips in through the human vulnerability cracks in our armor. It is our very humanity that required Jesus to die in order that we can be reconciled with God. God could not enter our homes to sit on sofas covered, eat on dishes covered with sand, walk on floors filled with grit. I shudder at the feel and thought of it. Jesus is our big vacuum cleaner. He has taken all our grit away. He has cleaned house, he has born our sins so that God can see me as his Princess, his daughter, and visit my clean house and have fellowship with me. Leviticus 26:12 “I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.”
Father God, thank you for Jesus who has cleaned out all the corners of my life so I can be acceptable to your Holiness and you can fellowship with me. Father, thank you for the Holy Spirit who continues to teach me in my spiritual journey, day by day. Thank you for your promises, and the Bible, where we can read of them, and be reminded of just who you are to us. We love you Almighty God, and worship you to the end of days. We pray in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
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