The next spacious place

Move on to the next spacious place...

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

Psalm 31: 7-8

7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.

8 You have not handed me over to the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.

I often describe my life as a spacious place--my husband, my children, my ministry here to college students, my circle of homeschooling friends, my church, my neighbors. In my twenties when I went through a period of deep grief and mourning after the death of a boyfriend, I was at the point of utter despair. And I cried out to God who rescued me, healed me, and called me out to a new and spacious place. I met my husband, started seminary, got married, started a family and began to minister to college students. A sweet, sweet life.

And now as we have prayed and talked and planned and prayed and talked and planned, we have decided to move on from here. We are cleaning and painting our house and preparing to put it on the market. We are seeking closure in our spiritual responsibilities here and looking to pass on our passions to other leaders. We are saying goodbye to friends who are leaving also because God is calling them to other places--home to China, relocating to Texas, moving to Colorado. And my circle here is tightening on my heart and part of me wants to hold on for dear life because it is familiar and comfortable.

I was praying last night in my room, in the heat of a sweltering night, with the ceiling fan and the window fan blowing over my thoughts. The Lord led me to a specific verse:

Psalm 103:5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit impresses on my heart a verse, usually from a psalm, and then I need to go look it up. This one reminded me that the desires that Jesus has placed in my heart will be satisfied with good things and that change will renew my youth and make all things fresh. And God spoke to me and told me, "Move on to the next spacious place." Over and over again. "Move on to the next spacious place."

So I plan to move on to the next spacious place. In spite of my fears.

Micah Girl