by David Scott Robertson
I want to tell you about a holy place.
A sacred place.
A secret place.
A place so special to me that I used to meet with God there on a regular basis.
Different religions have different holy places.
The Jews have Jerusalem.
The Muslims have Mecca.
The Mormons have a central temple in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Various shrines and mosques and temples and altars
Dot the global geography designating some type of “holy place” for their various brands of religion.
Let me describe my holy place to you.
My holy place was approximately three feet wide by four feet long.
It was dimly lit and had an exhaust fan in the ceiling.
It had a little latch on a hinged door that I could close and lock for privacy.
The holy place had a paper dispenser on the wall
So I could have plenty of tissue to wipe my tears away as I prayed to my God.
Underneath my feet was a simple tile floor that was mopped daily.
There were about three more holy places right next to mine
With a handicapped-accessible holy place down on the end.
The predominate fixture in my holy place that took up nearly half the space
Was a white porcelain bowl half-filled with water.
The bowl is called a toilet bowl.
By now you may have correctly identified my holy place as a typical bathroom stall.
This bathroom stall was located at
The Nissan Motor Manufacturing automotive plant located in Smyrna, Tennessee
Where I used to work for three years -
But I will tell you that this stall was anything but typical.
While my co-workers would reach for their morning cup of coffee and donut,
My custom was to go directly to “the holy place” to reach for God
And receive my “manna in the morning.”
I went to the same bathroom stall each day.
Closing the stall door behind me,
I would began to worship and magnify and glorify the Lord with raised hands
In soft tones so as not to disturb the other “worshippers.”
It was here in this place
That I would call out to God and ask for grace to succeed that day,
For the unction to function well for my employer,
And represent him and the Lord Jesus Christ appropriately throughout the day.
I asked for wisdom to solve the problems that I would face as a computer technician.
I needed physical and emotional stamina to withstand the rigors of a stressful job.
I need the moral fiber to overcome temptation and spiritual warfare.
And I certainly needed the ability to get along with my workgroup
And the people whose computers I would be fixing.
And you know what?
God heard my prayers in the holy place.
And He answered them.
For three years I flourished at a job
For which I had no professional training,
No formal education
And no previous experience whatsoever.
I became known as an excellent and very competent computer technician
Who brought favor and a good name to my employer.
The “end users” whose computer problems I fixed daily enjoyed me as a person
And the quality of my work spoke for itself.
Word would get back to my boss and his bosses that I was an asset to the organization.
May I point out to you that
This is the finger of God!
This is the Lord’s activity in and through me
Enabling me to do my job “as unto the Lord.”
I believe that the raises and the promotions and awards
That I earned during that three period of employment in an automotive factory
Was a direct result of time spent in the holy place --
Which ironically, was a simple ordinary bathroom stall.
It was there that the presence of God would show up in power and anointing
To equip me for yet another day of gainful employment.
By the way,
The holy place worked so well
That frequently while I was out in the plant working around the assembly lines
I would pop in other “remote holy places” that were strategically set up throughout the plant!
Thank you, Nissan, for constructing so many holy places for me to meet with my God
During that wonderful season of my life!
DSR
6/10/02