Jul 10

Jul 10 God’s Dwelling Place

God's glory, God's Promises, Holy Spirit

But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens even the highest heaven cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built.

1 Kings 8:27

Our young family moved twelve times. Each move felt more chaotic and unceremonious than the last. In comparison, move-in day for Solomon’s Temple must have transpired very differently! Enormous crowds, prayers, and a fourteen-day celebration marked the occasion. On the first day, Solomon asked an interesting question during his prayer of dedication: “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens even the highest heaven cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built” (1 Kings 8:27).

God’s presence did arrive in the form of a dark cloud, so dark that …the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple. Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever” (1 King 8:11-13).

With Jesus’s sacrificial death and the coming of the Holy Spirit, God’s “forever dwelling on earth” shifted from elaborate temples to human hearts, hearts that received the payment for their sins through Jesus Christ’s death. Solomon’s prophecy of “forever” now holds new meaning. God no longer dwells in a building made with human hands but in hearts molded by God’s own hands (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

The realization that this same God now dwells within me through the presence of His Holy Spirit humbles and empowers me to live in a way that honors His presence. Many years ago, my childlike faith welcomed His presence with tears of joy. Today, I can honor His presence daily with the decisions I make and the lifestyle I choose.

Dear Father, thank You for Your presence in my life through Your Holy Spirit. I acknowledge the wonder of it and submit my life to honor You. Thank You for that magnificent day You acknowledged your presence to Solomon and those He led. May I honor You through the way I live my life. Because of Your Son’s sacrificial gift I pray, amen.

Linda Lesniewski