Home Is Where the LORD Is

In the society in which we live, too many people (especially young people) are not properly taught (by parents, by the school system, etc.) to expect and to deal with some of life's unexpected, undesired, and severely challenging moments. So many are not given a heavy enough anchor, with a chain long enough to keep them moored with their heads above water when the waves of turmoil roar through their lives. But, the truth of the matter is that sometimes, we must make peace with discomfort and uncertainty for a time. Thus, I share the following inspiration that I received recently.

There is a cliché that says, "home is where the heart is," and for most people, this is true. The question arises, of course: where is home? Demographic studies have shown that, on average, people have at least seven different addresses over the course of their lives. Most people, as adults, do not live in the house in which they were raised. In fact, many parents with "empty nests" often downsize, and don't even live in the same house where they raised their families. When you toss college, first job, military stations, and romantic interests into the mix, we quickly see that "Rev." Luther Vandross was onto something when he sang, "A house is not a home if there's no one there."

Indeed, it is true that love is the key ingredient in any warm, happy, and loving home. The house doesn't have to be large, expensive, set next to the beach, or set atop a high rise skyscraper. As long as the family, loved ones, and friends feel safe, comfortable, and open in that space, then that is a place for someone to come home to.

Unfortunately, no matter how loving and grounded a home may be, life has taught me that trouble will still find where you live. Trouble knocks on the doors of the happiest homes like the police¹, it will step in uninvited, and it will become an unwelcomed interloper. What, then, is the occupant of a happy home to do? Indeed, what is one who has yet to find or establish a home, or one who is in between homes to do? How do we cope when trouble has invaded our most sacred space?

Let me, then, humbly suggest a slight variation to this cliché: "home is where the LORD is," as we anchor ourselves in Psalm 139 verses 7-10.

One of the more compelling characters in the Bible is David, son of Jesse, King of Israel. For those of us familiar with soap operas, a night time mini-series drama could be based off of his life! For all that we could say about David, let us focus on that period in his life between being anointed as king, and actually taking the reigns after the death of Saul.

During that time, David was on the run a lot, trying to keep from being killed by his enemy, Saul. He was running (as they say) "from pillar to post", in and out of friends' houses, in and out of the country, in and out of the woods... all trying to evade the long reach of Saul, his spies, and the military at his command. For one reading this story and seeing this dreadful set of circumstances, one might come to the conclusion that David would have been better off leaving Israel and never coming back. One might come to the conclusion that perhaps David should have stood bold against Saul (like he did against Goliath), and kill him, if necessary, to take what God had ordained for him.

But alas, David stayed on the run, never disrespecting God's anointed, Saul (even though Saul was trying to kill him), never finding much peace or comfort, and even experiencing the tragedy of having his wife and family kidnapped, and feeling the anguish and wrath of his strongest supporters when they turned against him at that watershed moment in Ziklag. Yet, the Bible records, "But, David encouraged himself in the LORD his God."

I don't know when Psalm 139 was composed, but in my sanctified imagination, I would conjecture that, at Ziklag, the realization dawned on him in that awful moment, "Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit, or whither shall I flee from Thy presence...?" In other words, "If God stood with me against Goliath, if God has preserved me in the palace against Saul, if God has preserved me in the land of the Phillistines, if God has preserved me in the wilderness on the run, if God has preserved me in Ziklag, then WHERE CAN I GO WHERE GOD IS NOT?"

"I was born and raised by Jesse, and I was beloved in his home with my family; but my home is where the LORD is!"

David, a valiant king and legendary warrior, a man after God's own heart, spent a lot of time living as a transient, facing trouble, enemies, and war. But, because of his faithfulness to God (a God Whom he discovered was ever-present), God promised that there shall never fail a man of the House of David to sit upon the throne of Israel!

Perhaps we would not put ourselves in the category of King David. Perhaps we don't consider ourselves to be royalty, or to be a writer of psalms, or to be a valiant warrior. But, one thing that we can strive for is to develop and maintain a staunch faith in, and a close relationship with God! We can strive to look for and discover God, not just in the Temples, the cathedrals, and the tabernacles of the world, but also in the wilderness--the cemetery, the hospital, the office building--even in traffic!

We can develop the patience and understanding that, although things in life may not be going the way that we'd like them to be going, it doesn't necessarily mean that something is wrong. We can come to the realization that Job expressed, "I cannot see Him and I don't know what He is doing, but He knoweth the way that I take..."²

We all have heard the cliché, "a diamond in the rough." Often times, life forces us to be prospectors out in the wildernesses and deserts of a formidable challenge and uncertain future. We don't need to hit the mother lode; we just need to find a small piece of God, just enough to keep us going.

There are times when we feel hopeless, our efforts seem worthless, and we just want to give up. But, how many times have we learned some invaluable lesson in the midst of (or perhaps because of) trials and tribulations? How many times have we maintained the presence of mind to see that, in spite of my trouble, in spite of my uncertain future, in spite of my unanswered questions, in spite of persecutions, in spite of my endless tears and unanswered prayers, God is still with me!?

Andrae Crouch, perhaps inspired by such a moment of discovery, composed that timeless Gospel classic to remind us all that God is a very present Help in trouble when he strung together those three infamous words: "take me back!"

For all who have found that ultimate Diamond in the rough, those who have discovered that, even in the raging floods and the purging fires, God did not leave them; for those who were able to walk through the valley of the shadow of death and not fear, those seminal words bring to mind a profound spiritual awakening and awareness that moves God from being an idea to being a Reality!

It is empowering to know, I mean really know, that there is no place you can be where God is not! So, as my mentor taught said, "If God is everywhere, how can hell be hell?"

Maybe we aren't all the way there yet, but hopefully, we are striving for it. Hopefully, we have not limited a righteous way of life to a mere church service full of regally-yet-oddly dressed folks. Hopefully, we understand that, while God does not leave us to struggle alone, He will not coddle us and comfort us in foolishness. In 1st Corinthians 14:33, Paul teaches, "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace..." God will not help us grind our axe, God will not force us to lay down obsolete burdens from the past. God will not support us in our unrighteous activities.

However, if by His hand, we find life to be holding us tightly in some captivity, if we find ourselves estranged in the wilderness searching for a Word from the LORD, if we find ourselves working hard, but nothing is hardly working, I hope that, before we descend into hopelessness, we will maintain the presence of mind that home is where the LORD is; and He is everywhere!

When this awareness comes, let us do as Isaiah taught, "Seek ye the LORD while He may be found; call ye upon Him while He is near."³ For as Moses told the Children of Israel, even if they are scattered and displaced, wandering seemingly aimlessly, working purposelessly (Deuteronomy 4):

[29] ...if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
[30] When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto His voice;
[31] (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) He will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which He sware unto them.

God will not leave the righteous comfortless, nor will He leave the humble in distress.

So, maybe we will have to make peace in discomfort and uncertainty for a time. But, let us always remember that, even in undesirable, challenging, harrowing, or even threatening situations, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my Refuge and my Fortress: my God; in Him will I trust."⁴

In other words, "home is where the LORD is!"

¹Police are notorious for knocking very loudly on doors, even in non-emergency situations.
²Job 23:8-10
³Isaiah 55:6
⁴Psalm 91:1-2