How lovely are your dwelling places


Sometimes in our lives, our souls are filled with great longings; the desire for healed relationships, the emptiness of those taken much too soon from us, happiness in the midst of the mundane, fulfillment in what we do, what we’ve become, and who we are.  Our very being is filled with an emptiness that comes from once having seemed to be full.  It is easy to focus on what we have lost, or what we are looking for, that which we don’t have.  Our humanity focuses on all the ways that things should be perfect for us, our relationships, our finances, our here and now.

               
Yet, in the middle of this mediocrity are signs of great wonder, and the realization that we will always be less than full while on this journey.  Our hope and our help comes from the Lord, who made the Heaven and the earth.  One day, all will be perfect, and our joys will be complete.  In that day, there will be no more sadness, no more longing, no more hoping for a better tomorrow.  All will be perfect in love. 

               
Love’s gifts come to us in so many ways.  We hear the voice of love in the chirping of the birds, and the beautiful songs that they sing.  The birds bring with them colors of the heavens and the promise that God will take care of our every need.  What we seek and long for, often isn’t what we truly need to survive, but rather, what we want for our own self-fulfillment or perceived happiness.  The birds who are taken care of for their needs, sing joyfully to the magnificence of being part of God’s wonders and creation.  They sing a song of hope and a promise of care.  Fret not.  Desire not all these extra things.  Live in this moment of time, in this space and place.  God will provide.  Sing a song of love that you have been given what you need by Love Himself. 

Psalm 84 teaches us that God’s dwelling is beautiful.  “How lovely are Your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts!  My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. The bird also has found a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God.  How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You.” Ah! There is the meaning in the songs that the birds sing.  They are praising the Creator, living in gratitude in the moment. 

Our homes may not be perfect.  Our lives may seem incomplete.  But with the love of the Lord comes beauty, and the realization that we are His, and to Him we belong.  God has called us by name.  God loves us in ways that we cannot comprehend.  His love is so perfect for us, even when our love for Him isn’t.  We spend so much time seeking God’s presence that we fail to see the many ways that He makes His presence known to us.  He is there in the silence.  He is there in His creation.  He is there in the beautiful flowers.  He is there in the very people that He has placed in our lives.  But, we look upon them with eyes of mortal men, and fail to see His beauty in all of these things.  He is in you.  His love is in your love.  His magnificence surrounds you.  Open your hearts and eyes to see. 

               
One of the greatest lessons that I have learned is to expect that others will show you God’s love, even when you are trying to show God’s love to them.  As a father,  I think of all of the ways that my beautiful daughters constantly remind me of God’s love for me.  They love me in spite of my failings.  When I am less than perfect, they run to me to comfort me.  They are more forgiving of me than I am of them, and than I am of myself.  When I think about how excited they were this year to celebrate Father’s day, I know that they radiate Gods’ love for me.   I know that I am imperfect, and others remind me of that on more occasions than I would like for them to.  But my daughters move past hurt and show me kindness.  I feel like I don’t deserve their love, and then am reminded that love isn’t earned or warranted. 

True love is a gift that is freely given.  Like the birds of the air, those who love sing praises to God’s wonders, and tell the story of having our deepest need…that of being loved…met in the presence of others.


How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place by Randall DeBruyn

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