Psalm 23 Day Ten: Home
I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.. Psalm 23:6
Day 10: Home Where I Belong
Home.
It means different things to different people. What was your home like? Fun? Chaotic? Peaceful? Productive? Was it a place where you would long for when you were away? Or was it a place you wanted to run away from?
In my work as a therapist, I find it interesting that even those raised in the most chaotic, dysfunctional home knew something was wrong and had a sense of what home should be like. Even if their everyday life didn’t teach them about being safe, or soothed, or relaxed enough to laugh and have fun – they still had a sense that things should be different.
It’s like we are born with a homing device that is preprogrammed in our souls keeping us desiring for home. I think God placed that there. From the very creation of mankind, He expresses that he longed to walk with them.
This Psalm comes full circle - from allowing God to be our Shepherd to making our home with Him.
My sister-in-law laughingly told me the story of when she was pregnant with her 4th child in quick succession. Mid-afternoon she would feel so exhausted, she’d put “Homeward Bound” on the tv for the kids and take a well-earned nap while they watched.
She shared how every day, she’d wake up right before the ending where the dogs and cat appear one at a time over the hill making their triumphant trek home. Finally home!
And she would cry.
Every day.
Every time.
What makes the scenario funny is she admits, “I don’t even like pets!”
There is something about finding a home that moves us.
The Shepherd does not simply lead us through the valley. He brings us home.
Our Psalm today brings us to that place. “…and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
We need to break this down a bit as the meaning isn’t immediately clear.
First of all, the psalmist isn’t saying, I want to stay at the temple or, for us, the church all the time. The meaning of “House of the Lord” is the place where the Lord is.
Making our home with him.
Trauma creates exiles. We get separated from places where we felt safe. We are exiled from communities we used to be part of. We often exile from our own selves – becoming someone we don’t recognize – acting in ways that don’t align with how we know ourselves to be. We also can exile pieces of ourselves – hiding our sensitive selves so criticism doesn’t work so much. Hiding our creative selves so we don’t have to face failure. There are so many ways we can exile.
The Psalm comes full circle. From acknowledging God is our shepherd to coming to a place where we dwell with him in his house – safe, soothed, seen and secure. Never to be alone again.
"We are born with a homing device in our souls, keeping us longing for home."
Christianity has often looked toward heaven for that ultimate homecoming with God. But Jesus had a greater picture – eternal life begins now. We pray it in the Lord’s Prayer “Let your kingdom come…on earth as it is in heaven“. Jesus talked about it when he said in John 17:3 – Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
Dallas Willard states it like this “To know God is to have eternal life. It is not something that waits for us beyond death.”
Healing allows us to feel at home in our own skin again.
A key feature of trauma healing is returning to a space that is safe and socially connected. This is what home should be.
Dr. Stephen Porges, in reference to the healing of trauma, states, “safety is the treatment.”
When you are able to be in a space where your nervous system experiences enough safety that it can reconnect with yourself and with others, that is what healing looks like.
That is what this verse talks about – safe in the house of the Lord forever.
The word “dwell” is a beautiful choice. It does not mean a quick passing through.
it hold richer meaning than to just live or reside. To dwell means to stay, to abide, to settle down, to inhabit, to move one’s home.
It’s a picture of finally coming home.
No longer homeless…or exiled…or displaced.
Able to put down roots.
Able to belong.
Able to be content in your space.
Able to feel at home in your own skin.
The Psalm started with an invitation to allow God to be your shepherd. To follow him. . It ends with hHis desire to dwell with you.
Has it been awhile since you’ve truly been home?
Journal Prompts or Ponderings
- What was home like for you? Did it contain the elements of safety and soothing – physically and emotionally. Was someone able to see you and help you deal with the difficulties of the world outside? Did it feel like a secure place to land at the end of the day?
- What small change do you need to improve the security of place you now call home.
- What makes you restless? Uneasy? What states do you allow your soul to dwell in? (Anxiousness, criticism, bitterness, etc.)
- What would it mean to allow your soul to find rest in the house of the Lord? What is your practical step to move toward that inner rest.
Prayer:
Lord, we come to you broken, living in a broken world.
We know you didn’t create the world like this.
Forgive us where we have looked for other things to meet the needs of our lives.
We ask that today you would help us open those lifelong yearnings to you and press into believing that you care enough to help us meet those needs.
Give us rest for our weary souls.
Amen
