In life, some spaces and places are more special than others. Sometimes it is because of a meaningful event that happened there. Other times, it is because of the beauty of the place itself and the emotions it evokes. There are a few such spaces for me, and nearly all of them are camps. These spaces are special because I met my would-be husband for the first time there, watched my children experience nature there, and because they are simply gorgeous. More than all that, though, they are special because for me, they are the thin places, sacred spaces where we get a glimpse of the new heaven and earth when God’s Kingdom will be complete. They are spaces in which the divide between heaven and earth is so thin that at times they even seem to overlap. In these spaces we experience an overwhelming sensation of the presence of God that is hard to describe. 

We can experience thin places in the everyday. With each passing moment, the space is becoming thinner, but unless we have our hearts open to see it, we will miss it. We find thin spaces in ministry, worship, and fellowship; in being the hands and feet of Jesus. But it is so easy to pass it by when we are in the busyness of the moment. That is why we need our sacred spaces — our places where we can go to be reminded of what it feels like to exist where heaven and earth overlap; to be still and simply be aware of Yahweh. 

Perhaps you already know where that place is for you. Schedule return visits once or twice a year to remember your previous encounters with God. Or maybe you haven’t found that place, and searching for it seems impossible at the moment. Create it in your home. Find the quiet times of the day. Make a space, remove distractions, light a candle, and seek the Lord. Alternatively, go for a walk. Get to a park, a quiet neighborhood, an empty bench, and seek the Lord. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to the thin places. The Kingdom of God is near. 

Engage

• Where are your sacred spaces?
• Where can you find a sacred space in your life today?

Supporting Scripture

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared … I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them’” (Revelation 21:1, 3).

I can see the light in the darkness

As the darkness bows to Him

I can hear the roar in the heavens

As the space between wears thin

I can feel the ground shake beneath us

As the prison walls cave in

Nothing stands between us.

– “Another in the Fire,” Hillsong UNITED

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