Psalm 26

I’m not sure I’ve ever read this psalm before. But this is what caught my attention: “Lord, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory dwells.” (vs 8)

I imagine David was talking about the temple. I don’t know that for sure, but that would probably have been the most obvious point of reference. This is what we would expect of a deity, right? To dwell somewhere else, in a fixed time and place. And if we wanted to meet with him, we would go for a visit.

But, when I read this, it made me think about how God instructed Israel to put His temple right in the middle of their camp. He dwelt with them. He set things up so that He was in the very center of their lives, at the heart of it all. That was no accident. God has always been Emmanuel, “God with us.” First, He came in a temple. Then, He came in the flesh.

And now, He has made it clear that He wants to be even closer than that with us. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul wrote, “Do you not know that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” When God says He wants to be in the house, He means He wants to live and shine in us. He wants all the fullness of His glory to dwell within us.

I continue to be amazed by the deep relationship God wants to have with us. He doesn’t want to live in some distant place and settle for a visit from us every now and then. No, He wants to be the friend who sticks closer than a brother. He wants us to be the house where He lives, the place where His glory dwells.

Have you considered letting Him move in?