Week 4: Dwelling

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Dwelling

Raphah

In this session, we will be praying with Psalm 84.

Imagine for a moment that you are in God’s dwelling place. Somewhere as deep as the galaxies that twist in outer space. Somewhere as deep as the chasms in the foundations of the ocean. Somewhere as deep as the mysteries of life itself. Picture yourself standing in God’s sanctuary, resting in God’s presence…

Let yourself be enveloped by the safety of this place. It is a slight desire that holds you here. Not one of the brash desires that disturb you, but a slender, peaceful desire, like a delicate thread. Allow the words of this psalm to help you recognise the quality of this desire…

How lovely is your dwelling place,

Lord, God of hosts.

My soul is longing and yearning,

is yearning for the courts of the Lord.

My heart and my soul ring out their joy

to God, the living God.

The sparrow herself finds a home

and the swallow a nest for her brood;

she lays her young by your altars,

Lord of hosts, my king and my God.

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer,

give ear, O God of Jacob.

Turn your eyes, O God, our shield,

look on the face of your anointed.

One day within your courts

is better than a thousand elsewhere.

The threshold of the house of God

I prefer to the dwellings of the wicked.

Notice how the dwelling place of God is not just for the great and the good. Even the lowliest of birds builds a nest here and raises its young. Spend a moment contemplating that swallow nesting in the sanctuary of God. How is it that God has let it make its home here in God’s own dwelling place?

Abide in God’s sanctuary, this haven of peace, for a little while. Why would you want to be anywhere else? Sense if there is a bliss held here especially for you, one that makes the cares and concerns of the world begin to fade. Speak to God about how it feels to abide in God’s dwelling place, and listen to God’s response…

O Wisdom

Lord and Ruler

Root of Jesse

Key of David

Rising Sun

King of the Nations

Emmanuel

Come, Lord Jesus