In Judah God is known. His name is great in Israel. His abode has been established in Salem, His dwelling place in Zion. (Verses 1-2)
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. A I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21
"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you so that where I am there you may be also." Jesus
The two girls from Holland were looking for the youth hostel in Huntington Beach when they pulled up in front of our house on a Tuesday afternoon. I noticed them as I was pulling weeds from the planter adjacent to the sidewalk.
"Do you know where the hostel is?" the redhead asked.
I pointed to an enormous green structure that listed a little to the left on the street behind our house. "That used to be it," I said. "I think it's now a halfway house."
The girls were very much in need of a bath. "Where are you from?" I asked.
"Holland," they chirped in unison. "We have been touring the U.S. in this rental car, staying in parks and hostels when we can." They looked down at themselves. "The last couple of nights we've been in a camp ground. We were hoping for a shower."
"Why don't you stay here tonight," I offered. "We have an extra bedroom and a bath!"
"Really?"
"Really."
As the girls unloaded their gear and marveled at their accommodations, I was struck by how we are all sojourners lighting for a moment on this earth, hopeful for a safe harbor. I was happy to hear them sing as the hot water poured over them in the shower. To see them giddy over a big, warm meal. To watch them look at their freshly laundered clothes as if they were new.
They wanted to go to Disneyland. Could they stay a second night?
"Sure," I answered. "I have a Bible study tomorrow evening with young women about your ages. They would enjoy meeting you so much."
"We'll try to be there." No pressure.
Half-way through the study, the Dutch girls joined us. Not Christians, each had much to share about why they weren't interested in the God of the Bible. However, they were challenged by the lives of the girls in the study. Scratching their heads as to why I would offer them not only a room, but such hospitality. As if they were my own daughters. Why would I do that?
I know it's cliche..."this world is not my home, I'm just a-passin' through"...but that's about the size of it. And when we traverse the planet, it matters where we light. If we stay a night or two in the presence of God. Are challenged to know Him more deeply and then get in our car and drive away because we have places to see and things to do. The fragrance of His cleansing still clinging to us. It matters that we know where God dwells and that we get there. We are invited, as the Dutch girls were, to come in. To see the wonders of His dwelling place in us. Always God's desire has been to live with us. The Lord walked in the garden of Eden in the cool of the day. Adam was accustomed to His physical presence. It's what God wants.
It's different when my own children come home. Each invited from my womb into a cradle gently rocking in a safe bedroom full of stuffed animals and diapers. They belong to me and live in my house. A picture of our relationship with a God, who has adopted us as newborns by His grace to be a part of His family forever. To live in His house in the New Jerusalem where once again our God will, Himself, walk daily in our presence. We get to go home! Where we are welcomed as family, not as aimless trekkers.
God doesn't want us to just pass through. He wants us to get somewhere. If in life we only touch the joy of His presence without deciding to live in it, we miss out forever. Where we stop our car, get out and clean up will make all the difference in this world and the next.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. A I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21
"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you so that where I am there you may be also." Jesus
The two girls from Holland were looking for the youth hostel in Huntington Beach when they pulled up in front of our house on a Tuesday afternoon. I noticed them as I was pulling weeds from the planter adjacent to the sidewalk.
"Do you know where the hostel is?" the redhead asked.
I pointed to an enormous green structure that listed a little to the left on the street behind our house. "That used to be it," I said. "I think it's now a halfway house."
The girls were very much in need of a bath. "Where are you from?" I asked.
"Holland," they chirped in unison. "We have been touring the U.S. in this rental car, staying in parks and hostels when we can." They looked down at themselves. "The last couple of nights we've been in a camp ground. We were hoping for a shower."
"Why don't you stay here tonight," I offered. "We have an extra bedroom and a bath!"
"Really?"
"Really."
As the girls unloaded their gear and marveled at their accommodations, I was struck by how we are all sojourners lighting for a moment on this earth, hopeful for a safe harbor. I was happy to hear them sing as the hot water poured over them in the shower. To see them giddy over a big, warm meal. To watch them look at their freshly laundered clothes as if they were new.
They wanted to go to Disneyland. Could they stay a second night?
"Sure," I answered. "I have a Bible study tomorrow evening with young women about your ages. They would enjoy meeting you so much."
"We'll try to be there." No pressure.
Half-way through the study, the Dutch girls joined us. Not Christians, each had much to share about why they weren't interested in the God of the Bible. However, they were challenged by the lives of the girls in the study. Scratching their heads as to why I would offer them not only a room, but such hospitality. As if they were my own daughters. Why would I do that?
I know it's cliche..."this world is not my home, I'm just a-passin' through"...but that's about the size of it. And when we traverse the planet, it matters where we light. If we stay a night or two in the presence of God. Are challenged to know Him more deeply and then get in our car and drive away because we have places to see and things to do. The fragrance of His cleansing still clinging to us. It matters that we know where God dwells and that we get there. We are invited, as the Dutch girls were, to come in. To see the wonders of His dwelling place in us. Always God's desire has been to live with us. The Lord walked in the garden of Eden in the cool of the day. Adam was accustomed to His physical presence. It's what God wants.
It's different when my own children come home. Each invited from my womb into a cradle gently rocking in a safe bedroom full of stuffed animals and diapers. They belong to me and live in my house. A picture of our relationship with a God, who has adopted us as newborns by His grace to be a part of His family forever. To live in His house in the New Jerusalem where once again our God will, Himself, walk daily in our presence. We get to go home! Where we are welcomed as family, not as aimless trekkers.
God doesn't want us to just pass through. He wants us to get somewhere. If in life we only touch the joy of His presence without deciding to live in it, we miss out forever. Where we stop our car, get out and clean up will make all the difference in this world and the next.
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