by David Scott Robertson
One day I stood in front of a window looking out.
Although it seems like an unlikely place to have an encounter with God,
I believe that I did.
For in that moment of time,
I became unusually aware of my circumstances.
And consequently there arose within me a profound spirit of thankfulness and appreciation
To God for supplying all the factors and phenomena
That worked together to bring me to that very sacred place…
And I experienced God at the window.
The fact that I could stand up at the window was, to be sure, a grace gift of God.
Seeing out the window meant that my eyes worked.
“All systems were go” in my physical body system
To permit me to experience God at the window.
The window itself separated me from the elements outside
Reminding me that winter is survive-able if you’re in the right spot.
The window was attached to a building,
And that building was a church,
And that church was my employer.
And, oh the joy of being employed.
Oh, the joy of being able to pay my bills.
The joy of being employed doing something I like to do.
The joy of working with people I like.
The joy of working for the Lord for a living.
The joy of walking out the will and plan and destiny of God for my life.
When the work has become play and I would gladly do it for no money,
There is a reason to worship at the window.
The church was located in a town called Murfreesboro,
In a state called Tennessee,
In a country called the United States of America.
Here religious freedom is protected by law.
And in that moment of time,
I considered the implications of this freedom…
I could stand there and pray at the window and be seen by passersby
Without fear of retaliation, imprisonment, punishment, or persecution.
As we are fully aware,
That is not the case in front of every window on earth.
The Bible describes a man who three times a day
Basically did what I was doing --
Prayed to his God in front of a window --
And as a result Daniel got thrown into a lion’s den because he had broken the law of the king.
At the window I considered that I was in a church.
How many people are “out of church” these days?
How many souls on our planet have never stepped foot in a church?
How many, instead, step into a temple, a shrine, or grotto of idols to worship false gods?
How many have never heard the wonderful saving name of Jesus Christ?
Billions.
And here I stand at the window,
Not only in a church,
But “in Christ Jesus”.
Amazing love how can it be?
I suppose I could go on and on
And list in great detail
The many other factors and favorable blessings that culminated in that moment in time
Causing me to experience God at the window --
But I think you get the point.
I also hope you understand
That this experience with God can happen not only in front of a window --
But in a car,
In an elevator,
At your desk in a classroom,
In the shower,
At your cubicle at work,
On a factory assembly line,
On a loading dock driving a fork lift
In the checkout line at Wal-Mart….
God is not limited by space and time in reaching out to us.
Let us not limit the time and place in which we reach up to Him.
DSR
6/24/02