Home Sweet Home

We made it.  Today is Day 5 of a series on all Scripture can be for us based out of Psalm 119.  If you’ve missed any of the posts, go here to catch up.

Scripture is good food to us, it’s wise counsel to us, it’s wealth that can’t be stolen or destroyed, and it’s beauty that actually changes us into the world’s most beautiful people.

Today we’re learning that Scripture is a place to call, ‘HOME.’  If you’ve read anything about me, you know that I’ve done my share of moving over the past ten years.  My parents seem to move around quite a bit too, so the idea of HOME-this place that’s always there and always the same-is somewhat foreign to me.

But, of course, I still feel the longings for HOME, don’t we all?

Home is Always There

I think we all have this desire to be able to travel and explore our boundaries, but still have a place of familiarity to return to.  Countless films and stories have captured this idea of the well-worn traveler who picks up his stride when he sees the first glimpse of the place he calls, ‘home.’

However, most of us know that such a place doesn’t always exist.  And even if the building and land is still intact, everything eventually changes inside. The people grow older, the furnishings wear out, and the paint begins to peel and crack.  We all long for this place of home to always be there, but the truth is that we’re hard pressed to find such a place here.

Forever O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven. v. 89

I love this verse about the ‘always there’ aspect of God’s Word.  No matter how far away from it we may travel in our expeditions, God’s Word is forever settled-always there and always the same.  Jesus is the Word made Flesh and Hebrews says that He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus is the HOME that should cause us to pick up our stride as we round the corner and see a glimpse of His face.

Home Is Safe

Home is a haven.  We all feel this to some degree.  Home is the place you can go when you’re tired and hungry and want to just, ‘be.’ Home is the place where you can be yourself, wear what you like, and do what you like.  Home is the place you eat and sleep.  It’s a haven.

But, again, we know that HOME is not always the perfect haven.

• It may be filled with other family members that allow you to do anything but rest.
• Home may share its walls with neighbors who are loud or hard to get along with.
• Or home may be a place that reminds you of the endless to do list.

Even if it’s just a small nook in our bedroom, we all long for a place that’s safe from the demands of the world.

You are my hiding place and my shield. I hope in Your Word. v. 114

These verses from Psalm 119 remind me that God’s Word and God Himself is the save haven I long for. Even when I’m far away from my little home, God’s Word can make me feel safe and secure.  He is the hiding place even when I can’t seem to find a place to hide in my own room.  He is rest and peace even in days of endless challenges.

Great peace have those who love your law, nothing can make them stumble. v. 165

Home is A Place of My Own

Soon after my husband and I were married, I had a serious itch to ‘buy’ a home.  Granted, we were only going to buy 20% of the home, but I longed for the feeling of ownership (even if I only owned the living room).  I wanted a place to paint, to garden, to cook, and to welcome others in.  I wanted to feel like at least one little plot on the earth was ours.

And of course, we can see by the current economic crisis, that many of us long for this feeling-to own a place and for that place to be beautiful.  The problem, of course, was highlighted on Wednesday, when we talked about how quickly wealth and possessions can be taken from us.

Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. v. 111

How differently I would look to my home and possessions if I saw that God’s Word was my heritage.  My longing for a place to call my own can be met by meeting God in His Word and finding my identity there.

And the best part?  There’s no mortgage or escrow when you make God’s Word your home.

I am a sojourner on the earth, hide not your commandments from me. v.19

Your Turn

This is the end of the 5 day series.  We’ll be back to business as usual next week.  But, in the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this week’s series and hear if you’ve gained any new insights about Scripture and all the ways that God meets our needs through His Word and the Word made Flesh.

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