Encouragement
Room with a View
It was a small trailer; two bedrooms, one bath, blue and white on the outside, red and black Spanish décor on the inside, a stone’s throw from the highway. For two hundred seventy-five dollars a month, water paid, I jumped at it. It was a room with a view.
Saturday night and the children were in bed. Claustrophobic was an understatement for the way I felt that warm spring night. It seemed my circumstance had imprisoned me. My financial outlook was bleak with our needs always greater than my resources. As a mom raising two children alone I was in a perpetual state of emotional and physical exhaustion and all three of us were in desperate need of heart mending. Cold black iron bars of past regrets slammed shut on my future. That particular night I fell onto the couch in that small rental trailer and cried out in despair, “Lord, why have you left me? You said you’d never leave me. Why have you left me?”
Much earlier in my life the Lord had comforted me with these words “I will never leave you or forsake you.” That was a time of upheaval in my life also, as I and my six siblings watched my parent’s marriage of thirty-two years disintegrate. Confusion and sadness overwhelmed me as our roots were torn up, siblings were divided, extended family relationships were lost, close friends, pets and familiar places were left behind. Poverty was thrust upon us. When the dust settled, this fourteen year old was heartbroken and bewildered. It was during this time that the Lord assured me that he would never leave me. Now here I was again back where I started. I had come full circle with my own family dilemma. Sad human condition. “Where are you, God?” I picked up a few toys, turned off the lights and went to bed.
Another night in a distant time in a distant place, a soft breeze blew across the open plains. Glittering stars adorned the black sky. Jacob had suffered separation from his family. There had been lies, trickery, angry words and a hasty departure. The scripture says that Jacob lay down to sleep “because the sun was set” (Genesis 28:11).Thus began Jacob’s nighttime experience. Thus began Jacob’s sojourn. It would be years before peace was to be restored. On this eve of uncertainty, God met with Jacob and made this promise, “And behold, I am with thee and will keep thee in all the places whither thou goest” (Genesis 28:15). Jacob called the place Bethel, which means ‘house of God.’ Though Jacob suffered the loss of family, God promised to be faithful. Though Jacob had only a stone for a pillow, God promised provision. Though Jacob was running for his life, God led him to a room with a view.
If you can pull yourself up to the window in the room of your suffering, you will see a breathtaking view. Push aside the curtains of the past that limit your faith. God is using the events of your life to adjust your view. Moses saw the view in a burning bush from his room of desert exile. Abraham saw the view in the ram caught in a thicket from his room on Mt. Moriah. The three Hebrew children stepped into a fiery room to view a celestial visitor and the isle of Patmos provided John with a panoramic view from a room of abandonment. Daniel found himself carried away captive to a heathen land serving a king who did not worship the one true living God. In his room, Daniel kneeled and prayed three times a day before an open window. This dedication to prayer was key in Daniel’s miraculous deliverance. Daniel discovered this room had a view.
Years after his Bethel experience, Jacob had married and had numerous children. God called Jacob back to the room, back to Bethel. Unresolved issues with his birth family still hung in the air. His kids had caused Jacob some heartache, there were in-law problems and marriage problems and character flaws that seemed to weave a continual web around him. Having arrived on the plains of Luz again, Jacob built an altar. The scriptures say he called the place ‘El-Bethel,’ and that is the purpose. From the original ‘Bethel,’ or ‘house of God,’ to ‘El-Bethel,’ or ‘God of the house,’ God used the events of Jacob’s life, even his mistakes and failings, to make his perception clearer. Are you flailing in your circumstances, struggling to see God in your room of distress? Is your room a wheelchair, a financial straight jacket, a troubled home, a pronouncement of cancer, or death of a loved one? It may or may not be a serious dilemma of your own making. The ‘God of the house’ has a room for you, but it is not a prison, it is a room with a view of the future, the blessings, the plans he has for you.
Sunday morning I felt depleted as I drove my children to church. I had spoken to no one concerning my outburst of the previous evening. At the end of the Adult Sunday School class our pastor asked everyone to gather around the altar for closing prayer. A dear saint and prayer warrior came and whispered in my ear, “The Lord says, I have not left you. I will never leave you or forsake you.” The curtains were pulled back and there it was; the view. When I was younger I entered the house of God, but through my trials I began to know the God of the house. If you know Him you have a future. You’re in a room with a view.
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
Great article. Much insight and depth. Very inspiring to my situation. Thanks.
I can relate to this story in many ways. You nailed it, sister. There is always a room with a view if you trust in him. I think I'll hang onto this story for future reference. Hugs for you for shining a little light into my room!
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 989 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Linda Pousson or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 989 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.