Dwelling in God’s place

Good morning. Today’s scripture comes from Psalm 84:1-2 (NIV):

“How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.

Last week’s events left me utterly exhausted. All week long, my wife and I were dealing with her son’s schooling issue. We watched God do his best work up close and personal. The biggest miracle we witnessed was watching the transformation of a once stubborn teenager who returned to his old chipper self, once we laid the law down. . On Friday morning, he got up and went to school the same way he did every day last year. He didn’t ditch and curse us. Friday after school, I met him at on his walk home from the bus and bought him a Jamba Juice, and we talked about school. Life is peachy keen.

But that was just the beginning. I had two finals in my online college courses due on Friday, including a 10-page paper that I didn’t start until Friday morning at 8:30. I turned the paper in at 4 and finished the second project at 7. Then, on Saturday, I worked 15 hours on a catering job. You can imagine how I feel right now. I took a 90-minute nap yesterday, which rarely happens. After not sleeping well all last week, I am suddenly sleeping through the night.

After a few hours sleep Saturday night, I couldn’t wait to get up and go to church on Sunday. I wouldn’t miss a chance to worship in the house of my God. After all we had been through, I needed worship him. I needed to rest in God’s jumbo-sized arms and cry out my thanks to him. We had put some serious requests before the Lord and waited patiently while he worked through the 11th hour on our behalf. Just a few weeks before, he had answered my prayer about a job. This prayer answer to my step-son’s schooling was huge to us, because we felt this was a crucial time in his life.

You better believe I look at God differently than I did a month ago, when I was unemployed and my step-son was trying to get his way by demanding, lying and manipulating. During that time, my prayer life has changed dramatically. Instead of glancing through my prayers, I spend 10 or 15 minutes going through a long list. My needs are suddenly miniscule when I look at my friends’ needs for jobs and marital guidance. If God worked miracles, he surely can work miracles in my friends’ lives. I want them to prosper just as I am right now. The place I am dwelling now is indeed lovely. I think I’ll stay here awhile.

How does this apply to my life?

Today’s prayer: Lord, I am exhausted. I just want to rest in your dwelling place for a while until my strength is restored. Amen