The Canadian coast, On the drive back from Whistler

Whistler Canada

IN THE SECRET PLACE

part 3

Connecting with the Peace Giver

            “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You. Because he trusts in You.” Luke 12:31

Travel is one thing that can send me way off the chart of my stress level meter. Just the thought of leaving my dog and home behind has me tense months in advance. A few years ago, John and I flew to Washington and flying makes my stress wing way into oblivion. And I don’t mean gone, I mean pushing all else from my mind.

So when we walked off the plane in Bellingham Washington, the end of the first leg of our journey to Whistler Canada for John’s sibling reunion, I drew a huge breath. I thought the worst of the traveling was over. After driving 4 hours to Billings where we caught our plane, then flying and layovers for 8 hours, we were now back on solid ground. The rest was a peace of cake. A restful night in a motel in Bellingham, then a beautiful drive into Canada and up the coast to Whistler. Oh silly me.

Luckily, we had made reservations for a car since it was 10:00 PM and the lady at the rental desk stayed that late just to hand us the keys. We soon found there wasn’t a room to be had in Bellingham so we headed north. Surely, there would be a motel room in the many towns along the way. And maybe not.

Three miles out of the city, traffic on the interstate ground to a halt. As far as we could see ahead there were taillights and soon headlights were strung way out behind, both lanes. Ok being a country girl, born and bred, I am used to empty wide open spaces and being able to move when and where I want. John is the same way and both of us were soon hyperventilating, with eyes darting about for an escape route. I might have been a bit worse since I had to go to the bathroom, didn’t use the one in the airport since I thought we would be finding a motel soon. So as traffic slowly inched forward, a couple feet at a time, I began to look for bushes or trees, but along the interstate just outside a city, there were not too many to be found. That were not in someone’s front yard that is.

Pressure built and I squirmed and not just from my full bladder. Cars beside us revved their engines and there was shouting and some honking. John was eyeing the median and sides of the freeway too, but for a get-away. What were we to do? Nothing we could do, but sit in traffic and pray.   My stress level was quickly rising. Again.

An hour later after going three miles, we followed the traffic up an exit where they were routing the traffic onto another highway. We were lured by the sign for a casino and motel just three miles west. If I could find a restroom I would be happy and a motel room would make me joyful. We did find a gas station but the motel was full to the brim and the casino was crowded and rowdy. We made fast tracks out of there.

Having no desire to once again join the slow moving traffic moving north, we headed south. Surely just a short way out of Bellingham we would find a room.   We stopped at every exit and checked at motel after motel. Time after time John trudged back to the car, shaking his head. He was told at the first motel that there was a man hunt near the interstate and that was why it was closed. How long would that take?

Thirty miles south of Bellingham we were told there was not a room to be had anywhere as far as Seattle and probably not in Seattle. John’s jaw was clenched and my head throbbed. What to do? John said he did not want to sleep in the car. Where in this world of pavement, noise, and lights could we even find a safe, place to park? Especially in the vicinity of a man hunt.

We felt lost, trapped, vulnerable having no weapons and definitely homesick for our empty prairies. My stress level was flying into the clouds and my peace had long since flown the coup.

The world is not a peaceful place. We may find peace in our home on the empty, blessedly quiet prairie most of the time, but where we found ourselves that night in Washington, peace was like a disappearing ghost. The world is full of violence, people hurting people, people hurting animals, natural disasters, sickness, pain and death. We are in the world, it surrounds us. How do we find peace in a crazy place full of endless noise, corruption and even man hunts?

Jesus says, “In Me you have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer I have over come the world.” John 16:33

Jesus is the Peace-Giver. How do I expect to find peace if I don’t go to Him? If I don’t stay in Him?

Luke puts it this way, God will keep me in perfect peace if my mind is stayed on Him.

He will keep me in perfect peace, not the kind of peace the world has, but peace in spite of circumstances, peace even in the midst of confusion and bustle, peace even when evil reigns.

When my mind is stayed on my Creator.   So, what does stayed mean? Steadfast, constant, or connected. Oh I like that, connected. How many of you are constantly connected to your friends or family? How many carry your cell phones where ever you go? How many as soon as you hear it buzzzz, beep-bop, or blipity-bloop, at least will look to see who sent the text? How many will answer that text as soon as you have a chance?   How many of us are ready to send a message or post a picture on Face Book about anything that comes into our lives?

I’m not saying these are bad things. What I’m saying is, this is a picture of how I should be with God. Even more so. Jesus is a thought away. The Holy Spirit will nudge and whisper from within. God’s presence is with me and surrounds me every minute of every day, but I get so busy running and doing I usually don’t pay a lot of attention.

On that fateful drive north, during the longest night of our lives, John and I found sanctuary, we found peace in our car. We didn’t sleep, but the noise and confusion of the world was shut out when we closed the doors.

I find peace in God’s presence. Most of the time I get busy doing projects, writing, reading devotionals, or even studying the Bible. Then I run to this function or that lunch, or a doings at the church, or an outing with John or a friend. None of this is bad, but I wonder why I’m feeling frazzled. Why is my stress level over the top? Where is my peace?

Then I remember it’s been days since I took time to sit quietly with my Peace-Giver. To bask in His presence or just praise His name and thank Him.   Sure I had been learning about Him, even writing what I had learned, I had been doing good things, needful things, but I had not connected to Him. I need to sit quietly to get His message.

“Be still and know I am God.” Know I am the Great I Am. Recognize My presence. Know my peace. Feel My joy.

His messages don’t come with loud ding-a-lings. It’s only when I sit still in quietness, praising Him, thanking Him and soaking up His presence that I connect to Him. I don’t have to carry a cell phone or get on Face Book to connect to my Lord, but I do need to have my mind stayed on Him. Or be aware of His presence. I need to seek His face. Even when on the go I can say a quick thank you, or give praise for a gorgeous sunset, or say a quick prayer.

So what did John and I do that night? We turned the right way, we went North and just kept driving. The man hunt was over, having caught the man we hoped, so it was smooth sailing on the freeway. Oh at first we stopped at motels along the way. And there are lots of exits in that country. They say it’s rural, but in my book it’s pretty much all city. One motel in a smallish town actually had a vacancy sign on the window, but no one was around at 3:00 AM. The sign said to knock on room 10 if we wanted a room. So John climbed the outside stairs to room ten and knocked, gently. No one came to the door.

“I WILL wake someone up!” I declared, when he got back in the car. So I stomped up the stairs, and proceeded to pound on the door. Surely someone would hear that! And when no one came, I pounded again, louder. Someone probably did hear it, but not the proprietor of the motel. Or if they did they ignored it, since no one answered the door. I stomped my feet and flung my hands but what was I to do?

I went back to the quiet sanctuary of the car and took a deep breath. That’s exactly what I need to do when stress builds in my life, for one reason or another. Run to the Hiding Place. The quiet presence of my God and take a deep breath.

In the wee hours of the night after an interesting experience in Vancouver and being told there were no rooms all the way to Whistler, we gave up, and John just drove.   In the quiet car, surrounded by praise music, I finally laid my head back and relaxed, even slept a bit.

In the quiet place of my Savior’s presence I can find peace. Peace like a river flooding my soul. All those tangled thoughts and harried nerves and unanswered questions just melt away for a bit. Hills melting away like wax at the presence of Lord of the whole earth.

This is the Secret Place.

“The Lord Reigns, let the earth rejoice, let the multitude of isles and coastlands be glad!

Fire goes before Him and burns up all His enemies. His lightning lights up the world. The earth sees and trembles. The hills melt like wax at the presence of the Lord. At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.” Ps. 97: 1, 2-5

A peaceful place. On the mountain, in the fog