August 24

It’s the weekend. Tomorrow, many of us will go to church and we will gather with fellow believers and to worship. God will be in our midst. However, that is not the primary place for God to dwell among us. We need to remember that the place God seeks to dwell above all others is within us, in the confines of our hearts, to ever be in communion, communication, and union with us.   


“until I find a place to build a house for the Lord, a sanctuary for the Mighty One of Israel.””

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭132:5‬ ‭NLT‬‬


In this 132 Psalm, a song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem,

we see the Psalmist recalling the previous days of David's commitment to build a "home" for the Lord in Jerusalem. This verse might not feel like it makes much of a direct tie to our lives today, but the New Testament teaches us that God no longer dwells in the temple, but in the hearts of each of His followers.


 “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ 3:16-18 NLT


Just as God promised to dwell in Zion in this Old Testament verse, He has now promised that we will be the place in which He dwells, His permanent sanctuary!


God is not distant from us. He is not far off, as sometimes our feelings may tell us, but He is also present in us. He is carrying us in our calling, He is sustaining us through our suffering, He is the bringer of blessing and our perpetual companion. As a child of God, we are His home of choice.


"God dwells in His creation and is everywhere indivisibly present in all His works. He is transcendent above all His works even while He is immanent within them." -- A.W. Tozer


Thank you Lord for moving from the temple to our hearts. We worship you and praise you for making us your home. We love you for all the wonderful things you are to us even we we don’t feel them, we can know you are present and working in our lives. Help us Father to continually work toward a closer, more full understanding, and deeper realization of your presence in our hearts. You are our God and we are your people. Amen and amen. 


Love you dear one,

Pam

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