Finding God in Thin Spaces
by: Pastor Bruce Gordon
In my book, Strategic Cheriths, I wrote about being home on my parent’s farm and at dusk walking through a field of freshly mown hay. I was in a place where so much had gone wrong, and I was audibly letting God know how I was barely hanging onto a thin thread of faith for my future. Gazing into the setting sun, I asked Him, “Are you really there?
Suddenly a lone sparrow sprang into flight, prompted by an unseen hand and I watched it climb and draw a heading toward the setting sun. I stood there with a tear on my cheek, watching this little bird until it was only a speck and then no more. It was a thin space, for the Creator had just drawn back the veil and in that moment, I felt His tangible Presence. I looked behind me, expecting to see Him as the words of Matthew 10:31 entered that valley for me: “Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Heaven seemed so close to me in that moment.
People tell stories of places- holy sites where heaven is close, where conditions are opportune to experience the presence of God. Eugene Peterson also wondered about these stories when he wrote about Flathead Lake, Montana. There’s a small island in the Inner Hebrides, called Iona. It is known as a “Thin Space” where heaven is no longer so far from you. The space between where God is and His vast earth, is wildly thin.
We all need a thin space, where we linger and know that God is there. I want to experience thin spaces and I believe they are not limited to certain locations, rather, when we most need God, the space can become thin because He finds us and draws us close to Him.
I leave you with these six convictions: They are wonderments, like Peterson mused on as he canoed Flathead Lake.
I am convicted of focusing on my conscious efforts to be useful and effective, rather than lingering in the thin space of God’s Presence.
I am convicted for not believing in God’s vast power, which is oh so near, a thin space.
I am convicted for using my own reasoning, when I need to remember, things are not what they appear, as He is at work in my thin space.
I am convicted for being too intense on my circumstances and completely losing sight of His Presence and in the words of my golfer friend who is having open heart surgery, “I am in the palm of His hand.” That sounds like no space between He and I at all.
I am convicted that I do not live like the birds of the air, the lilies, the stars – simply and unaffectedly. Thin spaces are not complicated.
I am convicted for forgetting just how close God is and that I am in a thin space right now.
From my “Thin Space” to yours, I leave you with the words of Psalm 23. May they remind you of just how close God is and you do not need to worry, be anxious or fret. God has you in the Palm of His Hand. He will see you through to the other side of your thin space and we know we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2
The Lord is my shepherd.
I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows.
He leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
Even when I walk through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
Bruce is a beloved Pastor in Canada. He is also an author, speaker, and renowned international leadership coach.
Related Posts
To love well as Christians, we must grasp the depths to which love went for us and understand how deeply we are loved. The Bible tells the story of a good Father who passionately loves His children, giving the most valuable possession of heaven to redeem us. Love paid a high price for us.