Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

A Daily Devotional by Kenton Cheek

14 April 2024

Reading From Psalm 7, 27, 31, 34, 52

“Whoever is pregnant with evil
    conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.”

“One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do 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 to 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 sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted
    above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
    I will sing and make music to the Lord.”

–Psalm 7:14, 27:4-6

     The verse from chapter seven stood out to me because I see a lot of disillusionment around me in American culture after the pandemic.  Disillusionment has been brewing for years, perhaps stretching back as far as the sixties when many began to realize that spiritual fulfillment cannot be found in 2.5 children, 2 cars and a home in the suburbs.  Sociologists, psychologists, cultural anthropologists and a myriad of other ologists have hypothesized and strategized without any real solutions to combat the malaise.

     But here in the Word of God, we discover that “Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.”  Certainly there is no shortage of evil not only in America but all the world.  Trouble is rampant, this was especially true in the first year of the pandemic, and people are burned out on stress and anxiety.  People are searching for meaning, authentic experiences and many have even checked out of societal norms.  An example of this would be the number of people leaving the workforce entirely. 

     It is also extremely difficult to get people to volunteer for community projects and events.  When people do choose to be active, they seem to lose interest quickly or don’t have much stamina.  What I find ironic is that people seem genuinely hungry for community after so much isolation but aren’t willing to put in the time, work and commitment to make it happen.

     The passage from Psalm 27 beautifully sings of David’s love for the House of the Lord.  In his day this was most likely understood as the Tabernacle at Shiloh and later the Temple at Jerusalem, but he gives a clue in verses four and five that dwelling in the House of the Lord extends beyond a physical tent or temple.  He says that he wants to dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of his life and that this is in a tent, a temple and high upon a rock.  Later in the New Testament it is revealed that the House of the Lord is not built by human hands, but is actually the Church made up of all believers united and unlimited by boundaries of time and space. 

We are all being brought together as a holy dwelling in which the Most High God lives by His Spirit.  In this way, David’s dream is fulfilled and ours as well as we enjoy His Presence not only all the days of our lives, but forever.  How it fills our hearts to know that this is the dream of the Almighty as well, to dwell in the midst of His people.  Hallelujah!

“Lord God, thank You for Your Presence.  I pray that I will dwell in Your House all the days of my life and into all eternity, world without end.  Thank You that I am sealed by the precious Holy Spirit of promise unto the day of my redemption.  I am grateful that even as evil gives birth to trouble and disillusionment is all around me, that I have the never ending source of power and strength and energy and drive in the Holy Spirit of the Living God.  May I find rest and peace in Your House, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer. Thank You for the promises of Your Word.  They are true and so are You.  Amen.”

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. –Psalm 23:6

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. –I Corinthians 12:13

If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. –I Timothy 3:15

In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

–Ephesians 2:21-22