A Resort Like No Other

“Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.” (Ps 71:3 AV)

 

Previously, we looked at the writer seeking a rock that was higher than he.  We discovered he was seeking a place with God wherein he could live above his circumstances.  He wanted a different perspective on his situation of life.  He didn’t want to be a victim.  He wanted to seek God’s presence wherein he could leave his circumstances with God while still participating in them to ease them or bring them to a conclusion.  Now, we see a writer asking for a continual and strong habitation.  We know what the word ‘resort’ means.  We see them all the time.  However, the deeper meaning is lost.  When we see a resort, we see a vacation spot.  We see all the extras that come with the room.  We see a spa.  We see a golf course.  We see a weight room, a lounge, or a library.  Many times, there are restaurants associated with the resort.  What we fail to realize is the word means ‘to come in’.  The idea of the word above is to leave one’s surroundings and come into better ones.  Not merely a sleepover or a temporary and inadequate respite.  Rather, the idea comes from the perspective of the one offering the resort and not the one availing himself of it.  There is an invitation and the nature of the resort is attractive.  The idea of the word is not that the one resorting is compelled to do so out of desperation.  Rather, he is drawn to it because of desire.

There was a time when my wife worked for a family resort.  She was a receptionist and secretary.  It was one of those water parks.  It was a very nice place, indeed.  When we moved from one state to another, the resort gave us a free night so that we could pack out, stay the night, and travel the next day.  It was a wonderful room.  However, when I entered the lobby, I couldn’t help but notice how much it catered to entertainment rather than relaxation.  It was a waterpark destination so there were pools everywhere.  There were also arcades and fast food-type venues.  The biggest thing I noticed was the atmosphere was information overload.  There was neon everywhere.  There were competing pa systems blaring different music.  The arcades were spaced a bit apart, but the noise coming from them was almost unbearable.  I couldn’t get to my room fast enough.  There were kids in bathing suits running all over the place.  The floors were drenched.  Parents were chasing after soaking-wet little rug rats.  It amazed me how anyone could call this a resort.  There was nothing relaxing about it.  It would be one of those places that wore you out so that when vacation time was over, you needed another vacation to get over that one.

Our writer wants a place in the presence of God where that which the world sends our way can be left behind.  He wants a strong place.  He wants a fortress.  He wants a place where God is and everything else is not.  He wants a quiet place.  He wants a welcoming place.  He doesn’t need stimulation.  He has too much already.  He wants a place where he and God can meet and nothing else can disturb.  He wants to be there continually.  Our writer wants to walk with God in such a way that life becomes secondary to his existence.  Our Psalmist sees anything that would keep him from sweet communion with God as an intrusion.  He doesn’t want the neon.  He doesn’t want the noise.  He wants a true resort.  One wherein the sweet voice of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit cannot be molested.  Cleland B McAfee wrote a song that appears in many hymnals. The lyrics are as follows:  “There is a place of quiet rest, Near to the heart of God; A place where sin cannot molest, Near to the heart of God. // Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer, Sent from the heart of God; Hold us, who wait before Thee, Near to the heart of God. // There is a place of comfort sweet, Near to the heart of God; // A place where we our Savior meet, Near to the heart of God. // There is a place of full release, Near to the heart of God; A place where all is joy and peace, Near to the heart of God.”