The Season We Dwell
They say hindsight is 20/20. So is Heaven.
The 23rd Psalm is a song of seasons. It describes how a shepherd leads his sheep to various locations as the seasons change. The final stanza introduces a different kind of season. It is the season in which we dwell.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23:6
An Eternal Season
We considered the "season of delight" to be a wonderful season in which we would like to stay. But we can't.
The season in which we dwell contains the correction to evil and the perfection of life we long for. And he attaches a word to it that our soul craves. Forever.
The season in which we dwell is an eternal season. It never ends.
A Present Season
The Bible reveals many spectacular things about the new heaven and the new earth. It is a wonderful existence in which there will be no more tears. It is a beautiful place of crystal seas and golden streets lined with the Tree of Life.
But what makes Heaven, heaven is not the 24 karat streets. Nor is it the absence of tears. What makes the blessed eternity so enjoyable is the presence of God.
It is the house of the Lord. And the word "dwell" is critical. God "dwelling" with His people is a theme of Scripture. From the garden to the Tabernacle; from the Temple to the coming of Christ; from the baptism of the Holy Spirit to the final Amen; God's desire is to dwell with His people.
"Dwell" is not just His desire. Dwelling with His sheep is the shepherd's agenda (Rev. 21:3). He will get us there and He will not fail.
You and I were not created merely to know God or even to worship God. God created us to dwell with Him forever..
Surprising season
It is in the season of dwelling that David acknowledges something of the shepherd. It was not only that the shepherd was leading, but something was also following; goodness and mercy.
Here David draws from the image of herding dogs. While the shepherd was at the front, there were dogs on the periphery of the herd keeping them in a pack and protecting them from predators.
If we are to follow God, we must be forward-facing. In doing so, we seek God for answers, opportunities, and guidance. We are always looking to see what He is going to do next. Where he leads, we will follow.
But when we are forward-facing we often fail to see what He also had going on behind us and around us. Goodness and mercy were present in every season.
They say hindsight is 20/20. So is Heaven.
There is much more going on with your life than you realize. The shepherd has a purpose for you. He will not fail to bring you to the season in which we dwell with Him forever.
Bible Study
Read Revelation 22.
- How does this passage call for us to praise God?
- What does this passage teach us about God's purpose for us?
- What are the promises of this passage?
Challenge
As you drive around today imagine your community corrected in righteousness much like the vision for the world made right in Revelation 22. What would be different in your community? Where and how can you get involved in your community to bring it to righteousness now? Do something today that makes something "right" around you.
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