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Jerusalem!

09 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by in Psalms, Thursday's Thought

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Jerusalem, if I forget you,
    let my right hand go limp.
Let my tongue stick
    to the roof of my mouth,
    if I don’t think about you
    above all else (Psalm 137:5-6, CEV).

Rampart Walk- Lois Walker

Greenery growing on the rampart walls of Jerusalem — photo courtesy of Lois Morrow

Reflection

This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is the tongue.

Today’s verse from the Psalms highlights the psalmist’s love for Jerusalem. While in captivity in Babylon, he longs to return to Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, if I forget you, let my right hand go limp. Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I don’t think about you above all else (Psalm 137:5-6, CEV).

In this verse the psalmist was expressing his deep-felt desire to return home. We all have a homeland and that desire for home never leaves us. We may grow up and move a thousand miles from home, but that desire to return home—and the imprint of that place of belonging remains with us for a lifetime.

On the spiritual level, we too have a homeland and it’s not defined by national borders. Our true homeland is within the Kingdom of God, which is both here and now, and far beyond and forever.

May I never forget that place of spiritual rebirth—that place of belonging near to the heart of God.

Response: LORD God, my real and forever home is with you. I never want to forget that truth. With my tongue I affirm my citizenship is in your eternal Kingdom. Amen.

Your Turn: Are you a citizen of the New Jerusalem? How do you define your citizenship?

Belonging

30 Wednesday Dec 2015

Posted by in Mid-Week Medtiation, Psalms

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All who worship the LORD, now praise him! You belong to Jacob’s family and to the people of Israel, so fear and honor the LORD! (Psalm 22:23, CEV).

Crofter's Home

Crofter’s Home, New Shieling, Cape Breton, N.S. —photo by David Kitz

Reflection

This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is worship.

We all need a place of belonging—a home. But it’s not just a home or a house that we need. We need to belong to a household or family. On Christmas Day my son called me from across the country, 2,000 miles away. It was great to hear his voice.

Why did he call? Because he  knows where he belongs.

You belong too. You belong to God’s great family. Give Him a call today. He will be thrilled to hear your voice.

Response: LORD God, thank you for welcoming me into your family. I belong to you. I praise and worship you. I fear and honor you for your great love. Amen.

Your Turn: How do you show that you belong to God’s family?

Are you at home with the LORD?

13 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by in Psalm 27, Psalms

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Reading:                                        Psalm 27

(Verses 4-6)

One thing I ask of the LORD,

This is what I seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,

To gaze on the beauty of the LORD

And seek him in his temple.

For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

He will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle

And set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me;

At his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the LORD. (NIV)

 Reflection

No matter where we travel, or how pleasant the journey, within us all there is a longing to be home. The same longing for the safety and comfort of home can be found in this psalm of David, but for David, being at home meant being in the presence of God. The LORD God was David’s refuge and comfort. To be near the LORD was to be safe, at rest and fully at peace. Nearness to God was the paramount desire of David’s heart.

Now hear David’s heart cry, “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek him in his temple.”

David’s statement here delineates a clear priority. For David the house of the LORD was of first importance. But, I do not believe that it was the physical structure or house that attracted and captivated David. It was the LORD of the house who captured David’s heart. He wanted to be with Him. He longed to see Him and be at home in His house.

Like many preschool children, my youngest son Joshua had some difficulty pronouncing the t-h sound, so in his four-year-old vocabulary the word ‘with’ became ‘whiff’ instead. He would make odd sounding statements such as this, “Daddy, I want to come whiff you,” or, “I want to do that whiff you.” Doing something ‘whiff’ someone brings to mind the notion of being so close to them that you can smell each other. That’s close – really close; bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh close – father and son close – intimate in a family kind of way.

Something deep and soul changing transpired as David tended that flock of sheep on those Judean hillsides. In his youth David met God. The LORD was ‘whiff David,’ so close that they could smell each other. David in his youth tasted and saw that the LORD is good. So even now in his adult years he yearns for that intimacy. He yearns for the house of the LORD. He is filled with a longing for home.

Response: Lord Jesus, I want to be ‘whiff’ you. I want to live my life close to you. Amen.

Your Turn: Are you at home with the LORD now? How at home will we feel with Him in eternity, if we aren’t at home with Him now?