3Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young – a place near Your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. 4Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising you. (Psalm 84:3-4, NIV)
Last week, we looked at vv. 5-7 of Psalm 84 and considered what 2021 would look like as we pilgrimage with God. But the preceding verses, we are encouraged to dwell in God, to make our home in God. The psalmist reminds us that if we are to journey with God this year and make God’s mission of redemption and restoration our North Star, we must first begin by finding our dwelling place in God as the sparrow and swallow make their home and nest for their young. As the pandemic wears on, many people walking their neighborhood begin to notice that many people were making modifications to their homes. From smaller projects like mending fences to larger ones like new roofs and driveways, it seems that nearly everyone is renovating their space. With all the extra time spent at home, forced people to settle in, hang out, and get comfortable in their homes, people began to notice ways they wanted to make their spaces more livable. When we have more time at home, we start to notice things that we’d like to change: paint that’s chipping or a door that squeaks. But we might also notice what we do like. Perhaps it’s how the light looks on your window in the morning or the smells from your neighbor’s house at dinner time. Consider how last year helped you (or forced you) to notice things you hadn’t paid much attention to before: not only about your physical space, but also about your relationships, yourself, and your work. As with our houses, we probably noticed some things we liked and other things that we wanted to see transformed. I also wonder if this season of forced dwelling has primed us in some way for 2021? The new year is always a time to think about the road ahead, a time of transition and new beginnings. A time to consider how to leverage all the experiences pain, and growth of the previous year for the next one. What if we spent 2021 truly dwelling in the house of the Lord? What if like the swallow we find a place in God where you can settle in and stay awhile? The Psalm teaches us to sing, “Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.” This psalm makes me think of a line from the old hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” The third verse of the hymn says: “Let thy goodness, like a fetter bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, O take and seal it; seal it for Thy courts above.” Dwelling is not easy. We’re prone to wander. Prone to leave. Prone to fill our lives with busyness and stuff. We hope at some point this year, we will be able to go back to “normal-ish” type life. The question is will we be so glad for 2020 to be over that we discard even the things that were good? So, at the start of this year, consider what it might mean for you to deepen your sense of dwelling in the house of the Lord this year. What would it look like for you to get so cozy in the house of the Lord that you know the nuances of God’s spiritual home: the good fruit of God’s grace that binds our hearts to the Lord and makes the invitation to dwell with God so sweet? Lord, help me to receive the grace You give so freely that enables me to dwell in your house this year ahead and always. Comments are closed.
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