Psalm 84:1-5
LORD God All-Powerful, your temple is so lovely! Deep in my heart I long for your temple, and with all that I am I sing joyful songs to you.
LORD God All-Powerful, my King and my God, sparrows find a home near your altars; swallows build nests there to raise their young. You bless everyone who lives in your house, and they sing your praises. You bless all who depend on you for their strength and all who deeply desire to visit your temple.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When my husband and I lived on what had been my grandparents’ farm, we had a beautiful old barn. That barn had been on the property all of my life. I stored my horse’s saddle in one of the old corn cribs. My grandfather fed his cattle in the feed chute along one side. The old stalls held interesting tools, hardware and hints of days gone by… and the loft was a treasure trove of things to discover… including the muddy nests of barn swallows that built there.
In later years, the barn became termite infested and had to be torn down. And once the barn was gone, the swallows had to look for a new home. Their solution was to try and build those muddy nests in an inset along the ceiling of our upstairs porch! We fought quite a battle with the swallows, and while we felt badly that their familiar nesting spot had been displaced, their messy abodes were not welcome in our house!
Have you ever felt displaced? Have you ever felt like the rug was pulled out from under you… and suddenly you didn’t know where to turn or what to do next? Did you fumble and stumble and try a few new options, hoping to hit on the right solution? It’s not a very fun feeling to be fumbling in the dark or feeling lost, is it?! And feeling like you are not wanted or don’t have a “home” where you belong is truly an unsettling experience, at best.
The Good News is that God’s door is always open. We are never displaced with Him… there is always room for us in His house – muddy, messy nests and all! Any time we start to feel like we don’t know what to do or where to turn, the answer is right in front of us… the LORD God All-Powerful! Our King and our God can help us figure out where to go next. He can find us the perfect “home”… the best solution… the right path.
When we give our heart to God and put our trust in Him to work on our behalf, we can rest in His presence… safe and secure. We can know that He will give us strength, courage, wisdom and peace. We always have a home with God… and that is cause for celebration and praise! Deep in our hearts, we can long for His temple… and He will find a spot for us there. We can sing songs of joy and praise His power, grace and mercy over us.
“Life” may temporarily displace us… but God will give us refuge and provide us a new place to roost. Are you trusting God to always provide you with a room in His house? Are you allowing Him to meet your needs… and giving Him praise for doing so? Isn’t it about time to start?
©2011 Debbie Robus
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