The House of the Lord

Last year, our family traveled to Hawaii. The picture above is my oldest son on a volcanic mountain summit in Maui, Hawaii. Above the clouds, we vowed to never forget that moment.

On this long-awaited vacation, I wanted to be a student. I did not want to miss God. On a volcano, riding horseback, admiring sunsets, savoring Hawaiian coffee, jogging by a strange ocean, watching my kids jump waterfalls… I wanted to see Him. True to who He is, He did not hide. I sought Him, and He was found.

God did some work inside of me on that island. I began to realize that I had unknowingly put limits on the Psalmist’s words, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord”, referenced in Psalm 23.

Unknowingly, I had confined that phrase to church. “I will stay in church, serve the church, sacrifice for the church, all the days of my life.” That’s not bad, but that’s not accurate.

It’s our communion with God that is paramount. Our communion with Him then reflects to the world. Our aim is not to never leave church. Our aim is to never leave His presence! We don’t just visit His house, we DWELL in the house of His presence, our very hearts! Many in the world don’t have access to church. But, they are never without the Lord.

Very far from home, I watched my family dance in the house of the Lord. Surely, goodness and mercy followed hard after us as we constantly spoke of the creativity of the God we worship. We are home now, but still in His house. Goodness and mercy still on our trail. We often forget that it is okay, no, it is GOOD to simply enjoy God. His heart is thrilled and we are healed when we dwell in Him.

Father, remind us today that you are our home. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

• Mysti Chustz has been following Jesus since she was six years old.
• She is a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. Her most favorite roles are being wife to Philip and mama to Coleman, Mary Lamar, and Clay.
• If one verse was used to describe her life, it would be Philippians 1:6. “Be confident of this, the One who starts the work in you is faithful to complete the work in you.”