I do not fare well in close quarters. I have to talk myself off the ledge, so to speak. It is okay, Kristy. You’re not going to die. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Focus your thoughts. If I don’t do that kind of self-talking, I will be bugging out. So, I love verses about open spaces. God knows my weaknesses and fears and how to best handle them.
Exodus 3:8 I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…
When I read that verse, another verse immediate came to my mind.
Psalm 119:45 I will walk freely in an open place because I seek your precepts.
I love this verse. Every claustrophobic person on the face of the planet should love this verse. The reason the Psalmist can walk freely in an open place is because he sought God’s precepts first. The psalmist knows he can walk freely because his borders or walls are forever before God (Isaiah 49:16) and he’s under God’s protection.
What is a “precept?” It’s a command or statute, an appointed mandate from God. The psalmist writes often regarding the precepts of God.
Do you know what I can do more freely in an open place as opposed to a closed or small place? BREATHE! I can draw in a deep breath and exhale, releasing the tension and stress that is bound in my body. Job 32:8, But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. Isaiah 42:5, Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spreads forth the earth and that which comes out of it, Who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it…” God gives us the breath in our lungs giving us life.
Then Exodus 3:8 reminded me of Psalm 23. Verses 1-3a, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He make me lie down in green pastures” (open spaces to breathe deeply); “He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul”… (the milk and honey of life).
Isn’t God good? His Word is so rich. It’s nourishment for our weary souls. Whether you need open space to breathe in deeply to take Him all in or if you need solitude, He provides the milk and honey of life.
Abba,
Thank you for the breath in our lungs. Thank you for breathing life into us every moment of the day. Thank you for providing the milk and honey of life. Help us to never take it for granted.
Amen.