Designed To Dwell

The presence and rule of God is the only place of peace, joy, and lasting meaning.

“After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon. When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. “What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?” 1 Samuel 5:1-8

The scene is really funny if you think about it. Can you imagine being the temple guard of a false temple who had just claimed victory and brought in the ark of the covenant that had been stolen from the Israelites only to see the idol of your God face down worshiping the ark when you showed up for your shift? I imagine the guy looked around and wondered if someone had knocked over the statue but the next day they knew it was no accident. God leaves no doubt who is the ultimate authority. Wouldn't that cause you to question your faith in the false God? 

They ask a really interesting question. What should we do with the ark of God? The Hebrew word for ark meant a lot more than box. It meant the presence of God. What will you do with the presence of God? Will you store it next to other idols or will you exalt the holy God and place him on the throne? Will you create space and pursue more of God's presence? What is one thing you could clear out of your life to make room for the presence of God?

“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.” If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Psalms 91:1-2, 9-16

Have you ever put your trust in something that turned out to not be trustworthy? Maybe a person or a plan? Moses wrote this Psalm and sang of where we can put our trust. Think of what the words must have meant to him as a man who had sought refuge in a foreign land after he had sinned by killing an Egyptian. Think of how God showed up and met him. God told him to remove his sandals when he was in the presence of God because the place he stood was holy ground. There is a holiness to the presence of God that marks His dwelling place.

Moses sang of the promises he had seen when we practice the presence of God in our lives.  What are those promises? God will watch over you, provide for you, protect you, be with you, answer you, deliver you, honor you, satisfy you, and save you. He has angels at his disposal and no army can come against him.  What does it mean to you to say the Lord is your refuge to make your dwelling with him? So much of life we are in a hurry. Dwelling with God is not meant to be a dime and dash experience. How much time will you devote being in God's presence today? 

The irony of this passage is that the devil quoted all 91 when he tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness.  We have to be careful that we don't listen to the lie of the enemy who tries to twist the truth. The enemy wants to get you away from God. The Moses reminds us that if we say the Lord is our shelter and we make our dwelling with him, we will find everything we need and more.

“Everyone’s toil is for their mouth, yet their appetite is never satisfied. Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone? For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days they pass through like a shadow? Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?”

Ecclesiastes 6:7, 9, 11-12 

Wisdom tells us that we can have everything that we want and still not have what we need. What good is it to get everything you could possibly want if you cannot enjoy your life? Evaluate your life. In psalm 91 God, promises us satisfaction, security, and peace as we enter His presence. Are you experiencing all of those blessings right now? Why or why not?

In the middle of the passage is a subtle message. Solomon says the more the words the less the meaning. How relevant is that to our world today? In a world so full of words whether on social media, on the tongues of society, or that you find while scrolling; we live in a world with an abundance of words. But, Solomon says many words can lose meaning. Think of the power of a single word. Holy. What happens in your heart when you repeat this word? Do you feel more of God's presence?

The truth is, we don't know what we don't know, you know? Only God knows.  The Creator alone knows what His creation was designed to need and what is best for them. He wants to teach us to learn to be grateful and content with what he gives us rather than always wanting or craving whatever our fleshly appetites desire. 

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her...I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west...they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God...Let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built...I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong... Do not be afraid. These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other...The fasts...will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace...And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him.” Zechariah 8:1-22

Are you thankful that God is jealous for you? What kind of relationship would we have if God was apathetic? He is not but are we? Are we passionate in our pursuit of the presence of God and practicing abiding with him? Are we faithful to God? If we were made in the image of God and God is jealous, should we not also be jealous for Him? 

Understand that the word for jealous here is not like the ways we might have seen it displayed in our culture. You see there is no insecurity or envy when God is jealous. His jealousy is a passion to protect and defend what belongs to Him. This is why he says you will be my people and I will be your God. 

Notice how God sees and knows you. He says do not be afraid. Strengthen your hands and use your strength to create space for my presence. He says build the temple. You can build a temple in your own home by investing your efforts in your heart. After you do, God changes your focus and tells us how to apply his presence to produce impact in our community. The restoration we receive changes how we live. We learn to speak truth, judge justly, and not plot evil. God’s presence produces transformed lives that transform community. How is your life impacting your community? 

“After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven...Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this...Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Revelation 4:1, 8-11 

Jesus taught us to pray, asking God, our father to have His will done on earth as it is in heaven. John, see a door open to heaven and sees what takes place. He sees the heavenly creatures close to God, worshiping God, and bowing down to Him. The elders cast down their crowns, recognizing that all authority, honor, and glory belong to God alone. This is the final answer to every false throne we try to build in our lives. 

God invites us into something deeper. than the daily grind. He never made us for a life of striving. He made us for a life of dwelling, abiding, and delighting. We were made like Mary to sit in His presence, to trust Him as our refuge, to stop chasing what cannot satisfy our souls. 

When we stop striving and start seeking first the kingdom of God, our thinking begins to change. We no longer measure life by what we accumulate, but by abiding with Jesus. We begin to value truth and pursue peace so we can live with the wholeness of the Holy Spirit unwilling in us not because we have to, but because we recognize it is the source of all strength, joy, love, and peace. 

Ultimately seeking God and spending time with Him leads to worship. Every part of life is moving toward the throne where one day we will stand before we kneel. The only question is when. When will you surrender, seek, submit, and sing to your Savior. When we turn to God we will see fear will give way to faith, running on empty will give way to rest, and pain will give way to purpose.

The invitation today is simple but not easy. Choose to say He is your refuge and dwell with Him. Let His presence be your refuge and His love shape your life. One day everything else will fade but He will forever be on the throne with sounds of holy, holy, holy glorifying His name.