Dwell With Us

Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – February 15, 2018

By Tripp Prince

Behold, the dwelling of God is with mankind. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them, and be their God. Revelation 21:3

What does it mean for God to be our God? In many ways, this is a core question that human beings have asked since time began. Humans have a deep, built in longing for meaning, purpose, and significance. Religious expression can be studied and observed in the earliest accounts of human history. As a species we have built within us an unshakable sense that there is something more, something greater to behold and encounter.

In some cases, this sense has led to great fear and anxiety. “God” is seen as unknowable and distant, disconnected from the intimate details of human experience. Or, if he is connected, he must constantly be appeased with bribes, gifts, and offerings. The relationship, if we can call it that, is always one way, us reaching up yet never actually expecting a god to hear and respond, let alone come and draw near to us.

And yet, the story of Israel is unique amongst all religious expressions in one incredible way. The Bible tells us a story of God drawing near and making his home with his people. He isn’t unaffected or unconcerned with the needs of his creation. In fact, creation itself is an overflow, an outpouring of his eternal love. God makes his home with us because he loves us and wants to dwell with us and us with him.

When the God of the Bible says “he will be our God,” he supports this remarkable claim by coming and making himself like us so that we can know him. In the incarnation, the unknowable is made known. As it says in The Message, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14).

God moves into our lives and wants to dwell with us, teaching us what it means to truly live in the depths of our being. He is with us in our hopes and dreams, as well as our fears and failures. To be a person of faith is to trust and believe that God is near to you, and this nearness is not simply wishful thinking but is rooted in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God drew near to his people in Jesus over 2,000 years ago, and by his Spirit he continues to draw near this very moment if you will but open your heart and invite him to dwell with you afresh.  

 “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” (Colossians 3:16).

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