I Shall Dwell

Psalm 23:6 “I Shall Dwell”

You don’t chose God, God chooses you. How many people realize that God has chosen them? You can determine that by understanding that God knows you, God has called you, and that God embraces you.

If you have had an exilic experience, an exilic experience is one where you come out of bondage or have been released from sin.

In other words, you have come out of the wilderness. The Negro spiritual proclaims, “How did you feel when you have come out of the wilderness.”

Our faith should say to us that:

If God has taken the time to look beyond our faults and to see our need.

If God has kept his eye on us as he has kept his eye on the sparrow.

If God has made a way for us even when we didn’t realize it was God under girding us.

If God has shaken the very doors of our isolated lives and brought sunshine in the midst of our own cloudy days.

If God has protected us from dangers seen and unseen.

If God has done all that for you and me we can be assured that God has chosen us.

Therefore, just like David we should be able to proclaim that,

“I Shall Dwell in the House of the Lord.”

Unfortunately, some of us will proclaim, “I Shall Dwell.”

But our reality is that we see the church simply as a physical place and not a spiritual place.

In other words when we leave the sanctuary; we have left church.

That why the idea of church for some has been reduced to a place where people are hatched, matched and dispatched.

Hatched meaning babies are blessed and dedicated.

Matched meaning couples are married.

Dispatched meaning individuals are funeralized.

This idea of church as a physical place is also evidenced by people who come to church but when you look at their actions, attitudes or attributes you quickly witness that while they may have been to church; church did not get into them.

That’s one of the tragedies of the events of the past week is that one can be active in church, a confessor of faith; but demonic in life’s transactions.

You should not be surprised, the idea of church as a physical place is not new.

During the time of David we witness the Israel people perceiving going to church when they traveled to the foot of Mount Sinai.

Other times you see the Israelites understanding being in church while they are carrying the Ark of the Covenant.

Even later you will witness that Israel perceives of church being behind the veil in the temple and that is the place of the holy of holies.

Where do you see church?

Is it a physical place or is it a spiritual place?

I wonder.

Is it possible to live life in such a way that you carry church inside of you?

Can you say like David, “blessed are they that dwell in thy house…for a day in thy courts are better than a thousand. I rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

The truth of the matter is that church is a spiritual place.

It’s where people who are scattered beyond untied in the vision glorious with Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and become the church triumphant.

Church as a spiritual place means that you can pray right where you are.

Holy ground is the place where you take off your shoes and bow because you are in the presence of God.

Church as a spiritual places means that you understand that all life is lived under the scrutiny of God’s loving care; but also all life is lived under an observing God who seeks justice.

Therefore David in understanding that all life is lived under the scrutiny and observation of God implies;

that if one lives life as if they are dwelling in God’s presence then goodness and mercy shall follow them all the days of their lives.

Do you really know that God has a way for His angels of goodness and mercy to shadow your journey?

Have you ever experienced the feeling of life’s knockout blow? People, like doctors, standing over you counting to ten; but before they wave their hands and before the bell is rung – goodness steps in, mercy comes running; the count is stopped and you are able to struggle to your feet, enter into life again and people see you and wonder how did you get over and all you can say is – goodness and mercy!

David did something else for us. He transforms our understanding of God into anthropomorphic form; meaning that he gives God who is a spirit, human characteristics.