Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. Revelation 21:3
Ever-present God,
Our world has gone virtual,
and we are starving for irl (in real life) experiences
of people and places.
Draw us to look forward to the day
when we will know your irl presence
fully and forever.
We await the day
when we will never sense your absence again.
We await the day
when we fully comprehend the depths of the promise
that we are “in Christ,”
“partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).
We await the day
when we will fall on our faces at the beauty of Christ’s face.
We await the day of our homecoming,
the day we truly see
what the angel showed John
in his vision of the new heavens and new earth,
“Look! Look!
God has moved into the neighborhood,
making his home with men and women!”
Until that day comes,
may we seek your face daily
in your Word
and prayer
and fellowship
and worship,
because in these means of grace
we find the joy of your presence.
Read Exodus 26; Ephesians 1:7-13.
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage is the author of Preparing for Glory: Biblical Answers to 40 Questions on Living and Dying in Hope of Heaven.
(affiliate link)
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17
Lord,
We believe; help our unbelief.
We believe you have already come into our midst
in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
We believe you are a mighty one
who has already saved us from our sins
through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
But in the next line of this magnificent verse,
we stutter and stumble.
We think that maybe you will rejoice in us
some day in the future
when we are more holy,
that you will love us
some day in the future
when we never sin again,
that you will exult in us with loud singing
some day in the future
when we’ve finally earned our way to heaven.
But that’s not what Scripture tells us.
The gospel good news
for all who trust in Jesus
is that right this minute,
you are rejoicing over us,
right this minute
you are quieting us with your love,
right this minute
and you are exulting over us with loud singing.
You saved us.
You love us.
You delight in us.
You sing extra-loud over us,
like the five-year-old who loves to sing
at the top of his lungs
because he’s so happy.
Help us today to sit quietly
and listen for the sound
of your delight in us,
and may that delight
change the way we live and love
today and every day.
In Jesus’ saving name. Amen.
Read Zephaniah 3:14-20.
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage is the author of Preparing for Glory: Biblical Answers to 40 Questions on Living and Dying in Hope of Heaven.
(affiliate link)
