Safe Spaces… Where in this World Are They?

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
Psalm 27:4-6

There are those in our world today who are demanding “safe space”. I’m not sure what all they wish to have in their spaces, but I guarantee it will never cause them to sing praises to/of the one(s) who attempt to provide it nor will it ever be SAFE ENOUGH.

I’m also not sure why the providers seem to declare the demand as an emergency that EVERYONE must participate. In other words, everyone MUST take care of “Baby” because if “baby aint happy – no one’s happy”! Therefore, Papa and Mama bear come out, READY FOR BEAR, to find out who’s to blame for all of this unhappiness. Mmmm, this must be the reason for the emergency – a bear attack is coming!

When did the world change? It used to be that parents prepared children for the world they would face when they left the nest.  Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, That hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions.  (Deuteronomy 32:11) When it’s time to leave the nest, it’s time to learn to fly. No, one doesn’t just kick the hatchling out, they begin to teach the art of flying until the eaglet is able to face the world and fly on its own.

When did parents change? It used to be the guiding wisdom was to train up a child in the way he should go, when he is old he will not turn from it. (Proverbs 22:6). I wonder if the same is true if you train them up in the way they SHOULDN’T go, will it produce the same result… when they are old they will not depart from it???? (Thankfully, NOT NECESSARILY because it is God who can work in us to will and to work for His good pleasure.) 

The way he/she/they should go… When did the world & parents & people change?

When we stopped seeking God and began to seek the tree that was good for food (that which satisfies our personal appetite), and that was a delight to the eyes (that which makes us HAPPY), and that was desirable to make one wise, (that which insures my power and light). 

Like Eve, we believe the tree promises a world we can live with! Weseek the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thinking we will be like God, or better yet, WE WILL BE the god of own life, so we take from its fruit and eat; and we give also to our family with us, and they eat.  Genesis 3:6

And thus, rather than seeking God and His house (which IS THE ONLY safe place) we seek to build our own safe spaces, which are failures before they are even inhabited. (See Tower of Babel & Sodom and Gomorrah as a couple of examples of human building talents)

I know from own experience. A childhood of more than enough opportunity to seek God but unaware of God’s desire to be sought by me.

For I know the plans that I have in mind for you,” declares Adonai, “plans for shalom and not calamity—to give you a future and a hope.  Jeremiah 29:11

God does not wish for any to perish but all to come. I grew up not knowing HOW to come to Him nor a personal desire to be under His control, because everyone knows His Will will BE DONE! If I stayed away from Him, I really believed I could do all things my way – the safest of all safe places!

Until I ran into the brick wall called REALITY and the consequences of this mess called life. Pretty messy and not at all pretty! Did you know you can’t fix a mess without cleaning up the original mess? Did you know that a professional mess maker (of which I am THE charter member) is not the one for the job. Brilliant, right? Who you gonna call?

There is ONLY ONE who can not only change the mess I’ve created but change the mess I am. When you figure that out, “Then you will call on Me, and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you will search for Me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:12-13

Then, out of the blue, someone (you know who you are Debbie Stryk) took the risk that I too could be redeemed and said to me, “You need Jesus!” 

And He (Jesus) agreed!

On the day I finally picked up the phone and called His number, He answered me; He made me bold with strength in my soul. Psalm 138:3 

He brought me to His Safe Space… that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple

The only Safe Space! For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.

Where in this world is a safe place? Nowhere Man… or from my point of view, Nowhere, Man!

There’s a song like that. Check out the song “Nowhere Man” by the Beatles released in December 1965 (according to Wikipedia). Check out the lyrics, they fit me perfectly before I met Jesus, AND they fit a lot of people today trying to find their own safe places. (I’d love to copy them here but I don’t know the copyright laws… check them out – you’ll see what I mean)

For me, the Kingdom of God is my safe pace… And now my head will be (eternally) lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will (continually) offer in His tent, sacrifices (of all that I am) with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

Be safe out there people, it’s a mess!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.