No Place Like Home
I have spent quite a bit of time in Psalm 90 recently. I read a portion of it months ago and one particular verse grabbed my heart and spoke to me. I had no idea of the actual context of the verse, but it became a jumping off point for me in this years Mother’s Day sermon. I studied the Psalm: I read it in different versions; I did word studies; I researched cross-references; I contemplated a variety of commentaries. I discovered there is A LOT to Psalm 90. There are so many different ideas and challenges one can pull from this rich prayer. I can’t say how many times I have read the whole Psalm, but enough to think that not much would grab my attention within it for another 6 months or more. It has just become so familiar to me.
The other morning I read through the Psalm yet again, in The Passion Translation, praying that God would reveal Himself and keep the passage fresh. I got to the second verse, yup, just the second verse and the phrase “the one and only true God” stopped me in my reading. The Holy Spirit prodded my spirit and I wrote down this statement: “How easy it is to get distracted by other things and see them as “god.”
What? Where did that come from? That has nothing to do with what I had been focusing on! It connects with all I’ve been researching and studying and yet it still isn’t in the main vein of where I had felt God leading. Then came the a-ha: oh. this is for me.
I begin to process the phrase from the verse and the statement provided by God’s Holy Spirit. I made some notes related to the “other things” I get distracted by: I give them a weight or importance they don’t deserve; I talk about these things as if they should have weight or impact for others; I spend too much time focusing on them, thinking about them; I work and adjust my schedule to find more time and ways to enjoy these distractions; I spend money on them; I rationalize them by labeling them hobbies, or a fun interest, or a side-hustle. I realized that these “other things,” move from a blessing, to a distraction to something that consumes me and then God gets pushed aside.
THE God, the One and Only TRUE God, is described in Psalm 90:1 as my “eternal home, [my] hiding place… (TPT translation). Think about that: God is my home, God is your home. If God is my home, then He should be the One I am rushing toward when I’m ready to escape any stress I face. If God is my home, then it is with Him that I am most myself, most relaxed, most with my guard down. If God is my home, then I take pride in caring for Him, improving the relationship I have with Him, updating our relationship and keeping it continually current. If God is my home, He is the place I hide from everything that causes me pain and fear. If God is my home, I am with Him everyday; we spend time together, hanging out, relaxing. If God is my home, He is where I go to be refreshed and restored every day when I’m done with the work I must do. If God is really my home, perhaps I would be less distracted by other things. It’s hard to make God my home when I’m not convicted and convinced He is the One and Only True God. When I am anchored in the truth of the reality of who God is, He naturally is given the place of honor in my life that He deserves and I find in Him my rest and my peace. He becomes home. When I am consciously aware that God is the Almighty, the Sovereign Creator, then I lean into giving him my time, my energy, my finances and my first commitment over the enjoyable but temporary things of this world. He becomes home. When my heart and soul willingly submit, longing to please, honor and delight God alone, God overtakes me and God as my home becomes tangible– hands-on real.
There are many good and worthwhile things that can become a distraction for me. Often they are the very abilities and activities God challenges me to use to minister His love and grace to others. It is so tender to me that God wants more than just busy-ness from me. He wants to overwhelm my life with the wonder of who He is and all He is to me and in me and through me. I am humbled by His goodness as He calls me to deeper intimacy with Him, the One and Only True God.
My street address is found in Ontario, Oregon. First Peter 2:9-11 tells me I am God’s chosen treasure, God claims me as His own, I am included with God’s people and I am a resident alien and foreigner here on this earth. I think I need to spend more time at Home.
