Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. (Ex. 40:34)
For several years, my husband and I were serial movers. In our first fourteen years of marriage, we lived in twelve different places, including apartments, houses (both owned and rented), campus housing, a missionary dormitory, and even my parents’ home. (Eight people in a three-bedroom ranch. That was fun.) The reasons we remained on the move were all God-led, but after fourteen years of feeling like a nomad, I was ready to stay put.
I wonder whether God felt the same as he waited for his people to create a sacred dwelling for him. Sure, God was not bound to time and space. Heaven and earth were his to call home. But he wanted something more. The level of detail and specifications that he gave to Moses to build the tabernacle makes me think God wanted a tangible place to call home among his people. And on that day when God “moved in” to the place Moses had built for him, what a glorious sight that must have been.
God wants to be with his people. He created us for communion with him and even goes so far as to meet us where we are. But reciprocity depends on us. No matter where you live, or how long you live there, your heart and home can be a sacred space where God and his glory can dwell.
Create sacred spaces in your heart and home; invite God in.
Sarah E. Westfall resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with her husband Ben and their four boys. She really wants a nap.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
