God is our Dwelling Place

A Dwelling Place

One year in late winter/early spring we opened our bedroom curtains to see a flurry of activity in the corner of the gable just outside our window. A pair of mourning doves were working industriously at a pile of twigs & grass forming a nest. Their loud coos became background music as we watched their progress over the next number of days. Pretty soon Mama bird had settled in and Dad was doing all the fetching of food - taking care of her as she sat on her eggs. Every so often we’d be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them when she adjusted her position - but never did she move from that spot.

Southern Ontario is prone to a “fools’ spring” a few warm days in early March when everything warms up, the sun is shining, birds singing and the world starts to wake up from hibernation - followed by an encore of snow, wind, and ice.

Perhaps Mama bird had started too soon and the second wave of winter found her nesting in my gable, her feathers fluffed up for maximum insulation and her wings protectively covering her eggs.

We watched her for days as the wind blew the snow into little piles around that nest and stuck to her feathers. We were worried about her - and her little ones. Whether she could endure the harsh weather or be forced to abandon the nest.

Day after day we checked - and there she remained - until the day we heard the chirping and a pair of scrawny, noisy heads emerged in the nest. Over weeks we watched them grow - Mama and papa flying food back and forth to their growing chicks - until one day they were all gone - presumably off into the world on their own - a happy ending.

But the memory of that diligent little Mama bird guarding her eggs in the freezing wind and snow has remained. Her faithful, protective, loving nurture.

This is an image the psalmist draws on when he describes what it is to dwell in God.

Psalm 91:1–4 NIV

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

The rest of the psalm goes on to describe a time of war, plague, upheaval - everything that creates fear and despair - but the psalmist understands himself as “dwelling in YHWH” - like the little eggs protected by the storm by their steadfast mama.

The psalmist cannot control the future or maybe even the circumstances warring around him - but his soul is at rest in YHWH and he entrusts the outcomes to the one who is his loving protector.

Psalm 91:7–9 NIV

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling....

In Deuteronomy as Moses blesses each tribe as they are about to settle into the land after years of wandering in the desert he reminds them that “home” is more than a plot of land.

Deuteronomy 33:26–27 ESV

“There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty. The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms....”

There is something more secure than land, and the potential for prosperity and that is the presence of YHWH.

As the nation of Israel was forming, and they bound themselves in Covenant to YHWH - trusting in the laws he gave to guide them, and promised if they would trust his leading and obey his laws they would live fruitfully.

Part of the instructions God gave to Moses was the building of a tabernacle - you can find these very detailed descriptions in the latter part of the book of Exodus. Tabernacle means “dwelling” and so God’s purpose was to create a space for Israel - even in their travels - to be conscious of the presence of God dwelling right among them.

And in Exodus 40 we see that a tangible manifestation of God’s glory was present even in this travelling worship tent.

Exodus 40:34–38 “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.”

So - even in the earliest days God was teaching Israel, as his people, that He was their home - not a house, a field, or a land - although those might be outward blessings that came from him. The presence of God was their hope. The presence of God was their safe place.

And we see from the psalms we’ve already talked about that David understood that. He knew what it was to make the LORD his dwelling place.

Psalm 27 By David. The Lord delivers and vindicates me! I fear no one! The Lord protects my life! I am afraid of no one! When evil men attack me to devour my flesh, when my adversaries and enemies attack me, they stumble and fall. Even when an army is deployed against me, I do not fear. Even when war is imminent, I remain confident. I have asked the Lord for one thing— this is what I desire! I want to live in the Lord’s house all the days of my life, so I can gaze at the splendor of the Lord and contemplate in his temple. He will surely give me shelter in the day of danger; he will hide me in his home; he will place me on an inaccessible rocky summit. Now I will triumph over my enemies who surround me! I will offer sacrifices in his dwelling place and shout for joy! I will sing praises to the Lord! Hear me, O Lord, when I cry out! Have mercy on me and answer me! My heart tells me to pray to you, and I do pray to you, O Lord. Do not reject me! Do not push your servant away in anger! You are my deliverer! Do not forsake or abandon me, O God who vindicates me! Even if my father and mother abandoned me, the Lord would take me in. Teach me how you want me to live; lead me along a level path because of those who wait to ambush me! Do not turn me over to my enemies, for false witnesses who want to destroy me testify against me. Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience the Lord’s favor in the land of the living? Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!

David is confident in God’s ability to direct and protect him. He references a desire to continually be in the presence of the Lord. He knows that is a place where no matter what is going on outside he can find rest, direction, a clarity on who he is and how he should act....it is the LORD who is his dwelling place and from that security he can encounter whatever is coming at him each day because whether he lives or dies, whether he is rich or poor, whether he is mighty or weak...the Lord is still his resting place. That can’t be changed by circumstances.

David had a rare gift in his time - the presence of the Holy Spirit that allowed him to meet with God in intimate ways. In his darkest moments and deepest sin the thing he was willing to face the consequences of his sin but pleaded with God to: “take not your Spirit from me”

Psalm 51:10–12 NIV

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

He knew that whatever loss his sin might cost Him he could only endure with the comfort and shelter of God. The Spirit was the space where he dwelled intimately with God.

JESUS

Fast forward 1000 years of increasing seperation and rebellion against God in Israel but God is still faithful to them in spite of it all. Something special begins to unfold...As John records...

John 1:14 ESV

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The God who is our dwelling place...came and dwelled with the people of that time in a body. Where he was present he brought the life and wisdom of God. Like a moving tabernacle the presence of God was wherever he was and many were drawn to Him.

As Jesus is preparing his disciples for his coming death he begins, in some very meaty chapters in John 14-17 to describe how all of the work they have observed him do was a manifestation of his position in The Father. He carries on to tell them that his relationship with them, which until now has only been in a body, will one day continue as he goes to the Father and sends his Spirit to them so that they will never be apart - he will dwell in them by the Spirit - and the relationship will continue and expand to include many others.

John 14:18–20 ESV

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

Being “in Christ” by the Spirit is the ultimate gift of unity and intimacy with God - and even as I started to read these chapters on the Holy Spirit I realize there’s so much more here than can be said today - so we will circle back around in a couple of weeks and pick it up again.

We’ll also be talking some more about how prayer is experienced within this inner dwelling place with God.

For now I just want us to connect with the reality of God as our dwelling place - a place of safety, a strong tower, the person who completely enfolds and protects us.

John 15:4 ESV

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

Living out of the presence of God is the only source of authentic eternal strength.

Abide

Abiding in Christ has to do with putting our attention on him purposely. As one author describes it:

“We collect the scattered pieces of our awareness and attention and focus them in a simple, loving gaze on God.” - Albert Haase, “Coming Home to Your True Self”

This requires some quiet and stillness. Some training of our minds to slow down and be attentive to the Spirit that dwells in us. It will include allowing God to lead us to scripture, to the application of scripture in real life contexts, to the application of gifts that serve the Body of believers and help us all to grow together, and even to allow God the use of our imagination - as we see David did as he poetically described God as a mother bird protecting her nest.

For today I want to just invite you into a short reflection on allowing God to be our dwelling place. This is something God walked me through in prayer not that long ago and it was really helpful for me - hopefully it will be for you too.

Close your eyes -

Picture a wall - not just any wall - a wall around a city. It’s made of stone, built very high, armed with lookouts and guards all around. It is a safe place.

Reflect on these words from Psalm 91

Psalm 91:1–2 ESV

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

You may imagine enemies coming against the wall. Maybe you have particular worries, fears, concerns that are the enemy against you today. Name those to Jesus....

Watch those enemies approach the wall and be barred from entry, watch as they try to climb over and can not get a foothold, they can make noise and shout and throw all their best at you...but they cannot enter.

You are safe within.

If there’s something you can’t shake - some space you can’t find peace under his protection ask him about it now....

WAIT....…

I know for me I was noticing that I had a lot of negative, depressive, invasive thoughts - that were attacking me and when I asked the Lord about it he referred me to this space and showed me that I had opened the front gate of my walled city and walked right out into them. There was no protection on the outside - the enemies were there waiting to attack.

When I asked how I did this he just referred me to Abiding

John 15:5 ESV

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

I was experiencing an attack that was penetrating to my heart because I had been careless in cultivating time to dwell with God. I was too rushed - to busy - to distracted...dwelling in my phone more than with God....eventually I found myself in enemy territory.

Maybe you want to ask God if there is any way you have opened a gate and walked outside of his presence. Through intentional sin, or maybe just through neglect of time in his presence - in worship, in the Word, in faithful community with brothers and sisters, in all that he has provided to create a space where you can dwell with God in joy and bear fruit.

Repent - turn around - return to shelter of Christ and close the gate on the enemy. Sometimes actually walking through that in your minds eye can be very helpful.

Slam the gate on fear -— I’m living here, inside Christ and nothing can harm me. Shut out envy -— I live here in Christ - he provides all I need. Shut the door on out of control appetites that rule you ----— you are in Christ and he will satisfy you fully.

This is more than just an imaginative exercise - it’s a conversation with God himself. The Spirit that leads you is the Spirit of Christ and you can learn to live in constant awareness of His presence in you always. It might take some cultivation and discipline but it is a joyful, powerful, place to live.

SONG: I need thee, Oh I need thee - every hour I need thee.

BENEDICTION:

Ephesians 3:14–19 ESV

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.