pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: dwelling


by Leave a comment

Has Been, Is, and Always Will Be

Reading: 1st Kings 8:46-53

1st Kings 8:48 – “And if they return to you with all their heart and being… listen to their prayer and request.”

Photo credit: Diego Gennaro

Our passage today comes from Solomon’s prayer during the dedication of the temple. Seven years in the making, all is now complete. Standing beside the altar, Solomon reminds God of the covenant, of God’s promises, and of the temple as God’s dwelling place. These words also remind Israel of who and what God has been, is, and always will be.

As we turn to verse 46 Solomon acknowledges a reality: “When they sin…” As humans we are prone to sin. Perhaps that is why he raises this subject for the third time in this prayer. Solomon foresees that the people’s sin will lead to defeat and exile. In that place, Solomon asks about God’s response when the people change their heart and beg God for mercy.

Solomon continues with these words: “And if they return to you with all their heart and being… listen to their prayer and request.” If they change and if they pray towards the temple, towards the land that God gave them, then God will listen. Solomon believes that God will “Do what is right for them, and forgive your people.” Just as we are sinful by nature, by nature God is merciful, loving, and forgiving. Solomon is reminding God, himself, Israel, and us of what and what God has been, is, and always will be. For the everlasting covenant, for the steadfast promises, for God’s love, mercy, and grace, we say thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, we are reminded today of our weakness and of your strength. We are often tempted and we sin against you. But you never change. You remain steadfast and true, loving and forgiving. As we seek to become more and more like you, develop these same qualities in our hearts. Modeling who and what you are, O God, make us more like you. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Home, Belonging, Connection

Reading: Psalm 90:1-6

Verse 1: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.”

Today’s and tomorrow’s time focuses on Psalm 90. Today’s portion is about the everlasting nature of God and about our dwelling place in God. In our mobile and super busy version of life, “home” has become less about where we physically live and more about where we feel connected, about where we belong.

Psalm 90 is attributed to Moses. It is set during the time in the wilderness. The people spent 40 years wandering from place to place. It is no wonder that their constants – God and one another – defined their sense of connection and belonging and home. Since almost the beginning of time, God has walked and talked with Moses’ ancestors. Moses knows that this will continue to be the relationship and connection because God was and is and will be “from everlasting to everlasting.”

God was their constant. God wants to be our constant. Moses does acknowledge our very limited time on earth relative to God’s eternity – “a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by.” And yet, to us and to God, our days matter. Each day matters. So, today, I ask: where will you find “home?” It may be at work or at school or at practice or at youth group. It may be on a walk or in a time of prayer. We are created for relationship with God and with one another. May we each find times and places of belonging and connection today.

Prayer: Lord God, since forever you have sought us out, seeking to walk every day in relationship with us. Since then you’ve created us to be in community and in relationship with each other too. Help us to connect to you and to each other in ways that deepen our sense of belonging and of home. Draw us closer to you and to one another. Amen.


by Leave a comment

The Kingdom of Love

Reading: Psalm 48

Verse 9: “We ponder your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of the temple”.

Today we return to Psalm 48. For the psalmist, for the Israelites, God and nation were almost one. Kings were truly anointed by God and the scriptures were to guide all of life, from the highest king to the lowest peasant. This Psalm celebrates God’s presence with the people and with the nation of Israel. They were God’s “chosen people” and Zion was viewed as God’s dwelling place. Reading verse nine from this perspective, we can see and understand the connection between God and the Israelites. It was an intimate relationship, a personal and communal connection.

On this day when we celebrate our nation’s birth and the ideals that it was founded on, may we first celebrate our Christian roots. May we celebrate our high views of justice, equality, democracy, and fairness. May we rejoice that we are able to freely worship the Lord our God without fear and without threat of oppression. Thanks be to God.

Yet we cannot stop with celebration. As people of faith, we know that all people and all nations are held in God’s grace and are within his judgment. Our greatest purpose as believers and as communities of faith is to fulfill and to help realize Jesus’ vision of the kingdom of God here on earth. That kingdom is one that truly practices and upholds justice, equality, and fairness as it values and cares well for all of creation. It is a kingdom ultimately built upon love, not on power or might or human strength. As citizens of heaven first, may we celebrate the freedom we find in Christ as we seek to build the kingdom of love here on earth.

Prayer: Lord God, you are my all in all. In you I find my identity and my worth. In you is my hope and my salvation. Use me to help build a kingdom here on earth that always reflects your love and grace. Amen.


by Leave a comment

The Living Temple

For the people of Israel, the temple was something magnificent and wonderful.  The seven year building project was the fulfillment of a promise God made to Israel, the people of God.  It is a symbol of God dwelling with them.  For Solomon it was also a tool.  His prayer asked God to use it for evangelism.  When a foreigner came to see the beauty of the temple, Solomon wanted them to leave having been moved into a relationship with God.

The temple in Jerusalem was a physical place.  For the Israelites, it was the house of God.  In the New Testament, our body is referred to as a temple.  We are called to treat our own body as the temple of God.  This is a much more personal connection.  One does not have to go to the temple or synagogue or church to find God.  He dwells right inside of each person.  The manifestation of God in us should also be a beautiful thing, something that draws others toward God, something that moves others into a relationship with God.

How does one live as a ‘temple of God’?  How does one live in such a way as to reveal the God that dwells within us?  First, it is revealed in how we live our lives.  It is in how we go through our day, in how we treat others, in the decisions we make, and in how we walk through the storms of life.  Second, it is in how we share what it is inside us that makes us ‘different’ from the world and its ways.  It is in how we answer the ‘why’ questions that people will have.  Third, it is in how we share our faith that allows others to seek a personal relationship with Jesus Christ for themselves.  Each day may we live as the light of God, shining into the darkness, bringing the gospel of hope to our world.

Scripture reference: 1 Kings 8: 22-30 and 41-43 Continue reading →