2 Samuel 7:4-6
But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle.
Pastor Mark Anderson preached a terrific sermon on this text two days ago. You’ll want to listen to it if you haven’t already. Here it is:
I want to honor King David’s intention here. He looks around at his beautiful cedar house, a home in which he is settled and finally at rest from his enemies, and he thinks to himself, “Surely, God deserves a home like this. Why should I live here while God lives in a tent?”
David values security and stability. I do too. My Grandpa Heldt, who celebrated his 91st birthday on Monday, was born in the home that he lived in nearly his entire life. The farm on which that house stood was a Century Farm, held by my family for over 100 years. God called me to a vocation that doesn’t typically lead to being in the same place for one’s entire life, but there’s a part of me that yearns for that kind of rooted life. So, you can imagine how meaningful it was for me when Doug and I purchased a home of our own this year.
I value security and stability, but I’m exceedingly grateful that I’m loved by a God who doesn’t.
God surrendered security when the Word became flesh, entering into the world and becoming vulnerable to the point of death. God surrendered stability; the Creator joined the creation; Jesus got on the roller coaster that is the human experience and will not exit the ride until every last beloved one is on solid ground in eternity.
God surrendered security and stability in order to give those gifts to us. To you.
You are loved by a God on the move, a God who goes with you wherever you go. Your security is God’s steadfast love. Your stability is God’s abiding presence. So that whether you’re settled in your home and at rest from your enemies…or moving around from place to place still searching for that settled rest…you are home in God’s heart.
Come, Jesus, come. Be our security and stability. Move with us through all the joys and sorrows of life. Amen.
Today’s accompanying song is Wherever Is Your Heart I Call Home by Brandi Carlile. I love to imagine God singing the title lyrics, wherever is your heart I call home. Wherever your heart is, beloved, God is there.