Our Divine Home

“Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.” (Ps 90:1 AV)

These are the words of Moses.  They are in reflection of Israel’s repeated failures and God’s loving correction.  The psalm is a recognition of this fact, but also a prayer to continue this pattern so that in the end, the LORD might grow and use Israel.  Israel had a land in which to traverse.  They had tents in which they resided.  They had fields into which they sent their flocks and herds.  During their wilderness wanderings, they still had places to which they called home.  It wasn’t like they were on the move every day of the year for forty years.  There were places they stopped for a season.  To say they had no earthly dwelling place would not be accurate.  When Moses refers to the LORD as the dwelling place of Israel, he is not speaking of a place of rest for the body.  He is speaking of a place of rest for the soul.

Lately, my mind is looking ahead at some needs my wife and I will need.  The current residence is a wonderful home.  But as we age, this will change. My in-laws are getting to that age where a house is a bit too much for them to care for.  They are beginning the thinking process of what the future might hold as far as living arrangements.  Looking at our situation, we can navigate stairs just fine.  Getting up and down from the first to the second floor is no problem.  But that will not always be the case.  There will come a time when brushing snow and ice off a car is a little too much to handle.  For us, that may not be for another couple of decades.  But it will eventually be the case.  There will come a time when our earthly house will need changes.  The same is true of our earthly tabernacle.  Our bodies will begin to fail.  This will necessitate rather dramatic changes.  There will be more pills, more exams, more tests, and more appliances.  There will be increased doctor appointments, scans, and blood work.  That which we come to depend on for our security and comfort will no longer be adequate.  There will be change.

But for the soul, there is only one dwelling place.  And He never changes.  There is one constant that we have.  The LORD is our dwelling place.  He is the one who brings comfort and security to our souls.  One thing I have learned is that our earthly habitations will never be perfect.  There will always be something not up to our needs or standards.  This is not so with God.  What is funny is we work so hard to provide temporal security and comfort but the one that can make all others seem adequate we tend to value the least.  Israel constantly complained because their earthly sources of security and comfort were not perfect.  Whether it was water, food, shelter, or protection, there was always a need.  The one provision for peace of mind and heart they valued the least.  The LORD puts up with a lot of us.  We fail Him way too much.  To many, the LORD is an afterthought.  To others, He is not in all our thoughts.  He is the only One who can give peace to the soul.  He is our dwelling place.  It should be to Him we go for peace and rest.  It should be our relationship with the LORD that takes priority.  It should be this relationship that is maintained with impeccable standards.  Yet, He is often the least of our concerns.