Home Sweet Home

It was around 4:30 in the morning and I had just finished feeding my son (Nathan was two months old at the time). I was trying to rock him back to sleep, when out of the blue, he stretched, gave a big sigh, snuggled into my chest and drifted off to sleep. As I sat there, holding him in my arms, It occurred to me that Nathan had no concept of the town or state he lived in. He wasn’t even aware that there was a roof over his head. All he knew was that he was safe in my arms. For all intents and purposes, I was his home.
In Psalm 90:1 David wrote: “Thou oh Lord, hast been our dwelling place for all generations.” The Contemporary English Version says, “Our Lord, in all generations you have been our home.” In looking at my son, I realized I was seeing a living illustration of this verse.
Home is a place of security. Each year Americans spend millions of dollars on home security systems to ensure their safety and the safety of their possessions. Why? Because one of the things that makes a place home is the feeling of safety it provides. My son was sleeping soundly because he felt secure in my arms. Likewise, God desires to be our security.
The fulfillment of this desire is seen in the countless times throughout scripture that God promises He will be with us. The Psalms repeatedly speak of the presence of the Lord as our strength and refuge. This was His promise to Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Elijah, Isaiah, Daniel and every other Old Testament hero of faith.
In the New Testament, not only did Jesus utter this promise as He ascended into heaven, but in John 17:11 he prayed, “...Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your name – the name You gave me....” Matthew 1:23 tells us, “...they will call Him ‘Immanuel!’ – which means, ‘God with us.’” His presence is not simply the foundation of our security and peace, it is the identifying mark of His people. It is what sets us apart from all others.