Meeting God in Quiet Places

If you’re like me, you probably have a special place where you go to meet God. Maybe a park bench, or the corner of your room when your roommates aren't around, or perhaps even your bed (because some people cannot come and kill themselves).

I’ve had a long list of places myself.

In my first year in school, I joined a group of ladies who met to pray out on the field at night.

It was wide, it was wild, and it was perfect. At five minutes to the meeting time, I would sneak out of my room with my Jerusalem shawl across my shoulders like I was going over to the next wing to see a friend. Then I would run down the stairs and go out back to join the rest of the squad. Each time, it was exhilarating- praying under the clear sky and having the stars shine down on us.

We would sing at the top of our lungs, pray, cry, whatever. You could even sit in the dirt. I mean, it was just this free, dark space.
So while our spot was a football field by day, with guys in sweaty shirts running around, screaming instructions and spitting (eww, by the way), at night, it was our very own prayer place.

And it was so discrete my roommates didn’t even know I was part of them. One day, they were talking about "those people that shout on the field at night", and you should have seen my poker face!

In my second year, we had to move to another campus. Sadly, I left the field behind.

For a long time, I was stuck, praying in my room whilst trying not to disturb my roommate, all the while wishing I could be free enough to communicate with God, yet hoping I wasn't shouting too much and disturbing somebody's daughter.

Plus, I missed the cool breeze and the stars.

Somehow, I discovered the next best thing. Our lodge was this 2- storey building on the outskirts of the school community (which meant that we didn't get a lot of visitors except it was an absolute emergency and they couldn't call).

When you said, "I stay at St So and So Lodge", they'd go,

"Oh, the Boys' Hostel?"

We were practically four females in the entire lodge for a while — which was an improvement because initially, there were none.

So at night, I would go out to the balcony, where I could see the stars and enjoy the night breeze, and pray. Again, the anonymity was a great perk — no one knew which of the four girls used to sing out front every night.

Hehe.

But of course, in our 4th year, we had to move to another campus. Again.

It was so hard, and our new lodge didn't have as good a view as the other one.

So I was stuck between trying to pray in the room, then promptly dozing off till an atrocious hour, and huddling in the corridor, hoping no one would see me as I tried to catch a moment alone with God.

Eventually, we discovered another place.

The school had a library, this short, squat building with a lot of books inside. But it wasn't the many books that fascinated me.

Each night, after the library was closed for the day, it transformed into this magically quiet spot. Plus, no lights were illuminating this particular building, unlike the others.

So every night, I would stroll from my lodge to the library, have a quickie, and return.

At some point, this guy thought I used to visit an imaginary boyfriend at the HOQ.

Dramatic eye-rolling.

Fast-forward to a couple of months after, when the accreditation wind blew. The management decided that a lot of things actually needed to be fixed in the hospital, the library lights being one of them. I was distraught.

I remember coming the first night to see my spot lit up brightly, and security guards around, and having to roam around the school that night like a restless ghost -from hostel to classroom block, to the library again and finally, disappointedly, back home.

Then I discovered another spot in the hostel, in front of a friend's room. But then they moved out, and someone else came to live there, and I didn't want to freak them out by being the total stranger in front of their room at night, muttering "incantations".

Sigh.

It's been a long, winding road of searching for quiet places to meet God. Finally, though, I'm in a good place.

And I won't mention where this place is because I don't want to jinx it.

But the bottom line is, well, I don't know what the bottom line is.

I feel like meeting God is this personal and intimate thing, and if you need to find the right spot for your dates at specific times, go ahead and do it.

Some people might call it playing religion, but I imagine a well-planned date in a cosy location with that person of your dreams is more romantic than stumbling into their room at 2 pm and raiding their kitchen for food.

(I mean, that could be romantic as well, but—)

You get it, don't you? It's not this thing that you have to do because if you don't, you won't be an actual Christian. It's this thing you want to do because you've set up the venue and lit the candles, and the meal is sumptuous, and you can't wait to have this quiet, cosy moment with the LOYL.

That said, when was the last time you had a date with Him?