Resting Place

 

As Solomon wraps up is temple dedication prayer, he says: Arise, O Lord God! Go to your resting place, you and the ark.

He’s speaking of the ark being in its home now, no longer to be carried from place to place, but to be in its permanent spot. But the ark will not come to permanently rest there. Neither will God’s presence. Both will be removed in time. But at that time, that physical temple was the home to God, a resting place.

We’re the temple of God’s dwelling, each believer individually but also collectively. If we’re God’s resting place now? What would that mean?

We’ve mentioned many times the Scripture in Ephesians about being built into a dwelling place for God’s Spirit. That dwelling place is not temporary. The place of sojourning, that’s temporary, just moving through. That’s what we do on earth. We sojourn here.

Our dwelling place, our eternal home, is with Christ. His dwelling place, where He’s moving in, setting up the furniture, deciding to stay, is with us, in us. It’s not just called a dwelling place here. It’s a resting place. That seems even more. That’s where the furniture is all in place. The dust has settled, the work is all done, everything is as it should be, so you can rest. You’re home and you’re not going anywhere.

He’s the one deciding to move and settle in. Let Him do the work of rearranging the furniture, tossing out what’s old and settling in what’s new and useful. Let Him prepare His resting place. You just make the space available to Him for His use.