Our New Home: Surrounded by His Feathers

In the last devotional about Home, "court" or "home" was defined in Hebrew as a safe place.  Another way that we can envision our New Home with God certainly illustrates that sense of deep security:

"He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge..."   (Psalm 91:4)

Our New Home...beneath feathers...covered by wings...

This representation of our New Home reminds me of a short writing from 2005.  This devotional was inspired by the passage from Isaiah 43: "Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you..." (43:4).  To be called precious in the eyes of God evoked the experience of being nestled into a big, warm, fluffy blanket (sometimes called a comforter; similar to being safely surrounded by soft feathers or wings!).  Interestingly, several of the Hebrew definitions for "precious" indicate a process ("to make something precious"), which involves being removed ("withdraw") as well as being different ("rarely") (StudyLight).  So not only is God offering us a place of comfort and safety beneath His wings, He is calling us apart  (Song of Solomon 2:10; 2 Corinthians 6:16-18) to draw ever closer to Him so that His active work of transformation can be accomplished, making us not only precious, but eventually perfect (Matthew 5:48) and beautiful in heart, mind, and spirit in the image of His Son (2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 1 John 3:2) .       

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.'"  (Psalm 91:1-2)

However, unlike the fragility of physical feathers, the wings of God are like a fortified castle...a bastion...where no one can hurt, no one can harm (Psalm 91:5-7), and the sense of comfort and protection is like nothing that can be found in the natural realm.  Here, not only is there a secure sense of comfort within, but the knowledge that God is outside and all around this feathered fortress, tirelessly fighting the battle to fully capture the hearts of His sons and daughters (Deuteronomy 6:5).   

And surrounded by the soft but oh-so-solid covering of our New Home we can know that:

"Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will."  (Matthew 10:29) and

"But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."    (Isaiah 40:31)

In His Love,  
Terri

Our New Home: In the Court

Certainly, our Home is in Jesus and Jesus-in-us.  Our life is now hidden with Christ, who is seated at God’s right hand (Colossians 3:3, Ephesians 1:19-21).  Even now we are with Him, and it is only in Him that we can find true peace.  But how can we think about the Spiritual Realm in which we now reside (Ephesians 2:19) in a way that will make it palpable to us here?  What are some archetypes that we can use to express some of the characteristics of our New Home – to remind ourselves that it is solid – so that we can meditate on them and protect ourselves from being enticed back into the old one (Hebrews 8:4-5,  Ephesians 2:1-3)? 

“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere…”  (Psalm 84:10)

“The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; Her clothing is woven with gold.  She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors…Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons, Whom You shall make princes in all the earth.”  (Psalm 45:13-14, 16)

We now abide in God’s court.  This reminds me of the scene in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe which occurred after the amazing battle between good (God) and evil (satan).  There sat Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, adorned in their royal attire, given the honor by Aslan the King of becoming princes and princesses in his court.   In the Hebrew, “courts” (pronounced “Chatser”) tends to mean, overall, an enclosure or “settled abode” (Chatser).  This gives the reader the impression of a place where one is safe, and where one can rest.  However, a court is also a dwelling place for Kings and Queens, princes and princesses who can travel freely about (Galatians 5:1), adorned in their finery (Ephesians 4:24), encouraging the loveliness seen in each other (Hebrews 3:13; quote from Pilgrim’s Progress, third paragraph).  While exhortation and encouragement are essential here, these are not the only interactions that occur within the palace walls; it is also the responsibility of the royal residents to participate in wise yet sometimes violent warfare (Ephesians 6:10-18), since it is known that although they are ultimately safe, there are enemies constantly waiting to attack (Genesis 4:7, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, 1 Peter 5:8).  Another characteristic of the court’s inhabitants is that the princes and princesses are distinguished in a very special way from the rest of their surroundings (outside of the court) by the royal position bestowed upon them by their Father/King (Romans 8:16-17, 1 Peter 2:9-10).

In our New Home, the court, we are beautiful in God’s sight (Song for this! Words for song); and as His princes and princesses…His sons and daughters…we can begin practicing how to live as humble royalty here on earth prior to our amazingly grand and beautiful entrance into our Heavenly Mansion (John 14:2-4, Revelation 21).  Thank you, Lord, for giving us a “New Home” here (please teach us how to live in it), while preparing the one that will soon be with You forever!  Amen.

In His Love,

Terri

   

There's No Place Like Home

While driving to a very lovely, mountainous location nearby, I sighed and thought "if only I could live in this area, everything would be o.k...looking out at the mountains, seeing the beauty..."...sigh.

But the Holy Spirit reminded me...reminds us...that there is no one "perfect place" here on earth that will bring that stable, perfect peace that can come only from Him.  You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You,Because he trusts in You (Isaiah 26:3).  I don't think it's an accident that the "You" is repeated three times within this very powerful, true, and life-giving scripture verse.  Whether we are in the mountains; in our homes; in the center of a crazy, busy city; stuck in traffic; or in the midst of a heart-wrenching disaster, if we are with Jesus, then we are in that "perfect place" (even though it may not seem like it in the moment, or even as the moments go by).  However, if we believe that there is a physical place here in which we can plant our feet and be totally satisfied; or more specifically, if we try to orchestrate that place, we will eventually be disappointed...somehow. 

Would I like to live in the mountains?  You better believe it.  But if I believed that that would bring me perfect and eternal peace, I would be terribly wrong.  Only by abiding in Jesus...by living IN HIM...no matter where we are...can we have that peace.

In His Eternal, Glorious, Powerful (and Peaceful) Love,
Terri