How to Find a “Spacious Place”—God’s Gift for You
A few years ago, I stumbled upon a verse that I quickly claimed as my own. It sums up so much of my faith life:
He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
– Psalm 18:19, NIV
After all, who doesn’t want to be rescued once in a while, right? And to be delighted in by the God of All Creation? Yes, please!
I must confess, though, that for years I sort of breezed past that first line: “He brought me out into a spacious place.” I didn’t really understand it. The context was about God rescuing the psalmist from some enemies, so I just tucked it into that scenario and went on my way.
Until . . .
The Horse That Didn’t Want to Be Ridden
I rode a horse that didn’t want to be ridden. Actually, two horses.
You see, I’d found coupon for a trail ride and thought, This could be a fun family activity. So the four of us—myself, my husband, and our two kids—all signed up. When the time came, we arrived at the barn and were assigned our horses. After mounting up, we fell into line behind our guide and set off. Or, more accurately, everyone else set off.
My horse? He decided the barn was the better place to be. No amount of whoa-ing or tugging on the reins could persuade him otherwise.
In hindsight, I should probably have taken that as a sign.
I yelled out to the guide, who was quite far away by then. After being given a new horse, we set off again with my horse trotting along with all the others. Whew!
We crossed over a beautiful, open, peaceful meadow and headed toward a forest where the trail zigzagged between the trees.
The Forest
Everything was fine until we got to that forest. That’s when it became apparent that this horse didn’t care to be ridden either. He proceeded to use every available tree as an opportunity to scrape me off his back. And since the forest was thick with trees, he had approximately 3,762 opportunities to do just that.
A better horsewoman could have taken this situation under control, but I was not a better horsewoman. I was a mom with a coupon. No matter how I tugged on the reins or how many times I whispered, “I know a guy at a glue factory” (Forgive me! I didn’t really mean it—I was desperate!), this horse persisted in his quest to give me a close-up view of every tree on the trail—and a few that weren’t.
A Spacious Place
Forty-five minutes—forty-five prayers and forty-five scrapes and bruises—later, I spotted an opening up ahead. With one last scrape against the fencepost at the forest’s edge, we emerged into that wonderfully spacious meadow where this misadventure started.
At last, I could breathe again, and my grateful heart was filled with so much joy. It was in that moment that the Spirit whispered to me the meaning of being “brought . . . out into a spacious place.”
Because after a time of battering and bruising, I had come to a spacious place where I could breathe. Away from those wretched trees. Where I could see the promise of the end of my troubles (also known as the barn).
Granted, I was still on that horse. He still didn’t want me there. And I still had to get to the barn. My core problem had not gone away. So where did my joy and gratitude come from?
That glimpse of the barn.
There Are Going to Be Horses
What does this have to do with my life? you ask.
Here’s the thing: There are going to be horses in our lives.
Well, let me put that another way: there are going to be things—some good, some not-so-good, some downright bad—we cannot control.
That’s where God comes in.
When we turn to Him and trust Him with all those things we can’t control anyway, He will deliver us into a spacious place—a place where we can breathe, where can feel His joy, and where we can glimpse with grateful hearts the hope and promise of His ultimate rescue.
All because He delights in us.
Meet Tama Fortner
Tama Fortner is an ECPA award-winning and bestselling author with more than sixty titles to her credit, including her latest releases Everyday Joys Devotional; God, I Feel Sad; and God, I Feel Scared. She is the writer behind the million-selling Indescribable for Kids series with Louie Giglio, as well as a number of books in the Jesus Calling children’s line, including the wildly successful Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for Kids. Tama has collaborated with such well-known authors as Max Lucado, Levi Lusko, Sadie Robertson Huff, and Emily Ley to create inspirational books for all ages.
Tama’s next devotional, Prayers for Each Moment, will be releasing from Ink & Willow/Waterbrook in 2025, and her next picture book will be releasing from Zonderkidz in 2026!
Tama and her husband have two children who have grown up much too fast for their mama’s liking. She lives on the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee, with her family and two feisty little pups who are convinced they’re people too. Learn more at www.TamaFortner.com.
Where to find her . . .
Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.
If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.
