'How lovely is Your dwelling place,
O Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young -
a place near Your altar,
O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
they are ever praising You.
Blessed are those whose strength is in You,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.'
~ Psalm 84:1 - 5 ~
Dear Lord ~
You've given us just the faintest glimpse of our someday heavenly home. When we think deeply about all Your promises, we know that nothing on earth can hold even the dimmest candle-glow to the majestic glories above, the awesome wonders that You are busy preparing for those who love You.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Til then, Lord, we live for You right here. We are grateful for a place to lay our heads that's safe and warm. We say the sincerest grace over a too-hot bowl of fragrant soup and the warm, slightly overcooked bread that comes out of our own ovens.
We experience a kind of sacred joy in the dailyness of the creative, simple pleasures of homekeeping ... and thank You for the imperfect loved ones who give those four walls meaningful life and a quirky beauty. And we offer all these bountiful graces back up to You with all the praise that's deep within.
Warm these temporary earthly dwellings and our awaiting hearts
with your merciful love, Lord. And we will be forever grateful.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
~
~
Amen, Come!
ReplyDeleteYes, yes ...
DeleteLOVE the picture. After the dreadful season you've been through, Linda, it lifts my heart to see the genuine joy and peace in your face and gesture.
ReplyDeleteThe word 'dwell' has some personal connotations for me - to start, it forms part of the title of a very good memoir, "The Desert My Dwelling-Place", David Lloyd-Owen's account of his service with the Long Range Desert Group in North Africa during WW2. (I think the title comes from Byron.)
And Con Thien, a place with a terrible history, hard by the DMZ at the far north of South Viet Nam, translates as "the place where angels dwell"; it was where the First of the Ninth (1st Batt., 9th marine Regiment) fully earned their nickname, "The Walking Dead". My first novel, "Blessed Are The Pure Of Heart", is the story of a survivor of those days, and the book was originally called "The Place Where Angels Dwell". I've always regretted not keeping the title.
But no matter...my current work-in-progress deals more directly with the fighting and the lifearound the Z, and it will bear that name. It turns out to be more fitting; the story's being serialized on my blog every week, and the response to the characters (especially The Dude) makes the title resonate.
And as a matter of interest, Viet Nam (properly two words) means 'far south', so 'Vietnam' is 'farsouth' and South Vietnam' is 'south farsouth'. So talking about the far north of South Viet Nam, as I did (intentionally, for fun) is saying 'far north south far south'.
We all need to find our laughs somewhere.
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2015/10/god-of-war-blogbattle.html
Appreciate your perspective on 'dwell,' Andrew ... it certainly is a powerful word and you've captured that in your thoughts today.
DeleteAnd the pic was taken the day we bought our new home 2 years ago. I loved the swing out front. Sadly, not long after the shot was taken, the ropes broke and sent me flying through the air ... and not with the greatest of ease.
Ah, my wounded pride ...
;-{
Keep swinging, sister. :)
ReplyDeleteIn a week, 31 Days will be a memory, girl ... we've made it by His grace! Have so enjoyed seeing you live and in person. Your voice is filled with an energy and joy that springs forth ... I've loved getting to know you on that level!
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Love to see you swinging, Linda. :)
ReplyDeleteDon't you just love being outside?
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Hi Linda! I was just at the park with my two grandchildren, and they love swings! I guess we never outgrow that, do we?
ReplyDeleteFinding the sacred in the everyday is something I do try to do, so I loved the counting your blessings here. Being grateful is such a wonderful Spiritual gift too. So much joy comes from that!
Happy swinging my friend, reach those feet to the stars!
Ceil
We've spent the last 4 days with our 4 oldest grandkiddos ... and I LOVE watching them play by the hour! They never seem to tire even as ol' grandma slowly fades ...
DeleteThat generation keeps us young, hopeful, delighted, don't they, Ceil ... I hope your kiddos are closer in distance than ours are ... 9 hours away keeps us from connecting like I'd like to ...
A beautiful prayer, my friend!
ReplyDeletePraying with you, praying for you this morning!
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