A Day in God's Dwelling Place
Friday, November 8, 2024
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Ps. 84:10, NIV.
A few weeks ago at dinner we discussed a request for prayer an employee had made of us. A similar request came a week later. We prayed, not knowing the precise nature of the problem. Was it something at work? at home? a concern for children or spouse? Before long the mystery was solved. Two more Christian marriages went on the rocks, leaving spouses in despair, children lost, careers ruined, financial hardships, and doubts about God and His calling to Christian service.
It would be foolhardy to explain precisely what went wrong, but the reasons offered sounded like a familiar litany. Missing attentions, children growing up, the pressures of finances, careers, advanced study, house and home, and church and community. Trying to have it all and to do it all became too overwhelming, until what was once a healthy family became a sick one.
What is the remedy for such illness? May we suggest a serious consideration of Psalm 84:3, 4: "Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young-a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house" (NIV). Here the psalmist portrays God's house, which means His presence, as a lovely place. Sparrow and swallow find safety near God's altar so they can build nests and raise their young.What a picture of family health! Mother and father building a home and feeding the young in God's presence. Every living person longs for such fulfillment, and sings in heart and body for joy once it comes.
Remarkably, this remedy is available to all who linger in God's presence long enough to watch the birds fly back and forth building nests and feeding their young. How much lingering does it take? Just one day in God's courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. Have you ever wondered what that day is? God's day of rest is the remedy for family illness. It comes once each week and is ours if we simply stop the thousand other things we have been doing and enter His dwelling place.
Think about your family and how you spend your time. Are you dwelling in the tents of the wicked, or are you a doorkeeper in the house of your God?
A few weeks ago at dinner we discussed a request for prayer an employee had made of us. A similar request came a week later. We prayed, not knowing the precise nature of the problem. Was it something at work? at home? a concern for children or spouse? Before long the mystery was solved. Two more Christian marriages went on the rocks, leaving spouses in despair, children lost, careers ruined, financial hardships, and doubts about God and His calling to Christian service.
It would be foolhardy to explain precisely what went wrong, but the reasons offered sounded like a familiar litany. Missing attentions, children growing up, the pressures of finances, careers, advanced study, house and home, and church and community. Trying to have it all and to do it all became too overwhelming, until what was once a healthy family became a sick one.
What is the remedy for such illness? May we suggest a serious consideration of Psalm 84:3, 4: "Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young-a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house" (NIV). Here the psalmist portrays God's house, which means His presence, as a lovely place. Sparrow and swallow find safety near God's altar so they can build nests and raise their young.What a picture of family health! Mother and father building a home and feeding the young in God's presence. Every living person longs for such fulfillment, and sings in heart and body for joy once it comes.
Remarkably, this remedy is available to all who linger in God's presence long enough to watch the birds fly back and forth building nests and feeding their young. How much lingering does it take? Just one day in God's courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. Have you ever wondered what that day is? God's day of rest is the remedy for family illness. It comes once each week and is ours if we simply stop the thousand other things we have been doing and enter His dwelling place.
Think about your family and how you spend your time. Are you dwelling in the tents of the wicked, or are you a doorkeeper in the house of your God?
Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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