Devotion • September 4
Today's Scripture
Psalm 132
O Lord, remember in David’s favor all the hardships he endured;
how he swore to the Lord and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
“I will not enter my house or get into my bed;
I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
We heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.
“Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool.”
Rise up, O Lord, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.
Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your faithful shout for joy.
For your servant David’s sake do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.
If your sons keep my covenant and my decrees that I shall teach them, their sons also, forevermore, shall sit on your throne.”
For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation:
“This is my resting place forever; here I will reside, for I have desired it.
I will abundantly bless its provisions; I will satisfy its poor with bread.
Its priests I will clothe with salvation, and its faithful will shout for joy.
There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.
His enemies I will clothe with disgrace, but on him, his crown will gleam.” (NRSV)
Reflection
Psalm 132 is a song of promises. David pledged to find a dwelling place for God, and God pledged to be with David and his descendants forever. King Jesus himself is a descendant of King David. David’s second son by Bathsheba was Solomon, who became king and built the first temple in Jerusalem, Solomon’s Temple, a dwelling place for God.
God dwells in all places, including the human heart, as biblical accounts describe. We worship God in spirit and in truth and not just in this location or that location (John 4:23). The omnipresent God cannot be limited to one location. And yet there is something powerful about memory, honoring our experiences of God’s presence, power, and grace. Gathering in churches, in communities to worship, we open ourselves to experiencing God’s presence with us. We build layer upon layer of memory and meaning. There are many houses of God, yet God cannot be contained.
Biblical stories of encounters with God describe the naming of dwelling places of God. When Jacob wrestled with an angel on the edge of the Jabbok River, he came to realize that he was struggling with God. He named that place Peniel, meaning “face of God,” because he was with God, face-to-face (Genesis 32:30). Later, “Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and … called the place … Bethel” (Genesis 35:14–15). Beth-el literally translates as “house of God.” The house of God is where we encounter God, sometimes face-to-face.
“God is here” becomes a prayer of affirmation that we can pray at any time and in any place. This is the eternal dwelling place of God, because there is no place that God is not.
Prayer
God of all places and all times, thank you for moving through this life always at my side. Help me to feel your presence and support. And help me to honor and care for all creation as your dwelling place. Amen.
Written by Nanette Sawyer, Associate Pastor for Discipleship and Small Group Ministry
Reflection and Prayer© Fourth Presbyterian Church
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