The God of Square Inches

I have always loved to travel. As a kid, I looked forward to visiting relatives during the holidays and summers. As a teenager, I had the opportunities to travel to Washington, D.C., San Francisco, the Smokies, and the Rockies.

I spent a summer working in Yellowstone. I’ve seen the the Cody Rodeo, hiked (a small segment of) the Appalachian Trail, and camped all over Florida. I’ve stayed in hostels in Australia and New Zealand and spent a week in a (very nice) grass hut in Fiji.

I’ve lived on a Blackfeet reservation in Montana and I studied one summer in the British Isles. I’ve spent time in both Mexico and Canada. I’ve flown over glaciers and soared over the desert in a hot air balloon. I’ve dipped my toes in both the Atlantic and the Pacific and traveled in 38 of the 50 states.

I may not have traveled the four corners of the earth, but I’m blessed to have seen and done all that I’ve seen and done. I have a very long bucket list, and I hope to be able to travel for many more years so that I can check off a few more items, including a couple more continents.

One of my favorite psalms is a perfect meditation for travelers (thanks to my friend Dave the pilot for making the connection and bringing it to my attention). In Psalm 139, verses 7-12, David beautifully emphasizes that God is with us no matter where we go:

⁷ Where can I go from your spirit?
    Or where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
    if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
⁹ If I take the wings of the morning
    and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me fast.

If you’ve been “churched” all of your life, you learned early on that God is everywhere. He’s in the earth, the sky, the trees, the flowers, the animals, and most importantly, He’s in you and me. In his book, The Story Telling God, Jared C. Wilson writes, “Our God is the God of the universe. And He is the God of square inches.” What an amazing thing to consider! 

It comforts me to know that I can reach out to God anywhere at any time. It may be in a church building or in my car. Or in any town or village or city. In any country or on any continent and across any ocean. And in the quiet of home. May you find God’s peace today, wherever you are. He is there, even in the square inches.