God of Home

There really is no place like home. 

After a long day on the job, there's nothing like walking in the door to your own private space, kicking your shoes off, and finally relaxing. 

After a few days' vacation, it's so refreshing to come back to your own place, to sleep in your own bed. 

And on the off chance that a tornado ever sweeps you to some bizarre other-world, there's something inside all of us that never stops looking for a way back because we all know - 

There's no place like home. 

God's people have always known this, too. 

It's why, when they were wandering in the wilderness, they wanted to go back to Egypt - it was the only place they had ever known. But it's also why, when they were in Egypt, they knew that wasn't really the place for them, either. It's why they struggled to accept exile in Babylon; Jerusalem was calling to them. It's why, even almost 2,000 years later, they were still looking at Israel as the place that God had for them. 

God's people know what home is, and they feel this longing in their heart to be there. 

But for those of us who live under the New Testament, home isn't a place as much as it's a presence. It's that feeling we have when we're secure, when we're loved, when we're well. When we have God inside of us, but more importantly - we feel nestled deep into His heart. That place of deep rest, where our soul is both nourished and cherished, where we are protected and encouraged, where we are known and treasured. This is home. 

Lamentations reminds us that God always brings His people back to Him (5:21), and this is why. Because He knows what home does to us. What it does for us. He knows that in our hearts, we're always trying to get back to our place, to where we are supposed to be. Ideally, it's Eden, but we'll settle for Canaan, and what we really have now is our hearts set on His heart - to feel those two heartbeats together, the warmth of His breath, the smoothness of His skin. 

After a long day, there's nothing like your own sanctuary.

After a few days' vacation, it's so refreshing to come back to your own place. 

When the twisters and tornadoes of this world take us to places we don't recognize and don't understand and don't know, there's something inside of us all that never stops looking for a way back. 

Thank the Lord that He brings us back. Every time. All the time. 

There is no place like home.