Friday, January 9, 2009

Dwelling

I looked up the meaning of the word "dwell" on dictionary.com. Dwell means to live or stay as a permanent resident, to emphasize, to ponder in thought, speech or writing and last but not least, of a moving tool or machine it means to be motionless for a period of time during use. 
Let me just say right now: I LOVE that last one.  I think of the poor riding lawnmower Dad has had since before I was born. I have memories of him riding it around the yard every Friday on his day off, but what I remember most was that thing sitting in the driveway to be fixed. Dad would be under it, fixing things, or standing over it, trying to figure out the problem. The lawnmower dwelt in the driveway to be repaired by Dad. It was motionless. It had a problem and apparently realized it (because it stopped working) and so it sat in the driveway where a solution could be found. 

You know where I'm going with this, don't you? How can I resist? To dwell with God (some verses say "in His house" or "in His temple") is something very important. God is with us, the Holy Spirit living inside. He's not going to leave or give up. 
This is true, but we still have problems. We need things taken out and other things put in us. We break down. We need doctors, we have health issues... we are painfully aware at times that we are human and that being human makes us fragile. We're mortal, susceptible to death and disease. Bones break, hearts don't work... all reminding us that there is something we don't have. 

Basically: we are aware that we have problems. Sometimes hopelessness grabs us because we realize that something bigger than "me" must have and hold breath, must be immortal, must cause the heart to beat. I think we all must realize this instinctively. 

There is something I notice about when I've been in the Word like I should be. I don't really care so much about the physical problems. I feel that they have been taken care of and that I am free from worry about them. You see, when I take time to sit motionless before the Lord, I am a much more fulfilled person. I have come to the One who can heal my physical problems as well as   my internal problems. I "break down" from time to time, not because He cannot fix me, but because I am human. He did not make me perfect or immortal and I am thankful. Now I can experience His grace. I can see His love given to such an imperfect person. 
I doubt I am thankful for this enough. I believe that I sit sadly considering my issues more than I am thankful that God made me with the capacity to understand His love and to actually experience the extending of His hand. I know why it is. 

It is because so often, I do not sit motionless before Him. I don't "wait for the Lord" and I don't verbally recognize my imperfections. In reality, I have problems. I need them to be fixed. He can do that and He will but not if I'm not willing. My loving God has allowed me to choose to come to Him and to sit and wait for Him. I want to dwell in His Word and His plans!
 
"Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness" - Psalm 37:3(A side note in my Bible about "cultivate faithfulness" says that it means to feed securely or to feed on His faithfulness - we get to experience His blessings!)

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