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Thursday, May 10, 2012

Thankful Thursday: Habitation

I love reading the Psalms.  They are to scripture what comfort food is to a diner (does anyone but me get that?) I find myself sighing and smiling and any weight that has settled into my soul begins to dissipate.  


I was reading in Psalm 71, marveling at all the names and descriptors of God in these verses.


In You, O Lord, I have taken REFUGE
Be to me a ROCK OF HABITATION to which I may continually come
For You are my ROCK and my FORTRESS
For You are my HOPE
You are my CONFIDENCE
my PRAISE is continually of You
For You are my STRONG REFUGE
My mouth is filled with Your PRAISE
And with Your GLORY all day long
my soul which You have REDEEMED

O GOD, WHO IS LIKE YOU?

Indeed, who is like our God?  When I find myself feeling anxious, helpless, stressed or hurt, I can turn to this Psalm and gain perspective.  I can rest in this good news.  He cares for me in ways that I can not even comprehend.

When I was reading this today, I was particularly struck by the phrase "rock of my habitation."  I looked at this phrase in several different version of the Bible and I really loved the way The Message put it -

Be a guest room where I can retreat -- 
You said Your door was always open.  
You're my salvation, my vast, granite fortress.

I love the image of dwelling and abiding.  It is a picture that the Lord gives us over and over again all throughout scripture.  I think it must be important!  The words abide and dwell are used in the Bible over 300 times.  When you get right down to it - that is the heart of the Christian life.  We must abide in Jesus - we just rest in our God.  Godly living can only come out of this kind of relationship. Godly influence is a byproduct of abiding.

Note that we are invited to "continually come" -- that the door is always open.  Learning to abide and rest in the Lord is a life long process.  I am thankful that I can continually come to this place - that the guest room is always ready for me.

One day, I will dwell in the house of the Lord.  I will have a permanent place in His house.  But for now, I will rejoice and be thankful that I have a place with Him that I can continually go to - a place of refuge, hope, confidence, praise, glory and redemption.

O God, who is like You?

No One.



 



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