“One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord….to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple” (Psalm 27:4).
It was King David’s utmost desire to build the ark of God a house, and also for him to dwell in God’s temple. To dwell means to remain in a place as a resident. This is different from visiting a place. A green card holder in the USA is called a permanent resident, and this is different from a visiting status or a visitor. As a green card holder, there are benefits and privileges he/she has that a mere visitor into the USA isn’t entitled to. King David wanted to dwell or be planted in the house of God (Psalm 92:13), which is different from nomadic living. Cattle rearers in Africa are mostly nomads who have no permanent home but move about constantly in search of pasture for their cattle. Nowadays, we have so called believers who are spiritual nomads because they have no church home, but are busy wandering and visiting places of worship in search of supposed green pastures. The scripture above, and several others make us to realize there are blessings for those who are dwellers in God’s house that spiritual nomads or uncommitted visitors will not have access to. Below are some of the blessings of dwellers:
Dwellers partake of His goodness: In Psalm 65:4, the Bible says there is goodness in the house of the Lord. The beauty of the Lord is made manifest in His house because praise, worship, glory is accorded Him there; the atmosphere and environment of worship is right for Him to manifest His beauty. The scripture above tells us King David longed to dwell in God's house in order to behold His beauty therein. Also, God’s faithfulness is feasted on in His house (Psalm 37:3). Testimonies, sermons, hymns, spiritual songs and exhortations about His workings are all pointers of His faithfulness, and this engenders Him to further prove faithful to dwellers.
Dwellers enjoy divine covering: Whenever a lion is pursuing a herd of antelopes, his main aim is to isolate one antelope out of the pack and then descend on that one. It is almost impossible to break into two a bundle of twenty pencils using your hands. One isolated pencil by itself is easily broken. Dwellers enjoy protective cover or corporate anointing that casual, non-residents in the house of God don’t enjoy.
Dwellers receive solutions to the nagging questions of life: One of the reasons David wanted to dwell in the house of God was to inquire in His temple. The same David was in dilemma when he saw the wicked and the ungodly prospering, the answer to his dilemma was revealed to him in the house of God (Psalm 73:17). If someone dwells long enough in the house of God, his/her nagging questions will be answered and his problems will be resolved. This is true because God rewards diligent seekers (Hebrews 11:6). Someone said patience with others is love, patience with oneself is hope, and patience with God is faith. Be patient where God has planted you and He will surprise you there. Moving from church to church is like transplanting oneself every time (James 1:6-8).
Dwellers enjoy support: Every local church or assembly is a family unit. There are numerous ways a church family renders support to its members. Spiritual/prayer support, emotional, financial, marital, physical, etc. are some of the numerous blessings dwellers enjoy in a church setting. Church assemblies in westernized cultures have served as a buffer to many immigrants from developing countries that would have been swallowed up by the complexities in these societies. Many scientific polls on longevity, relieving stress and living fulfilled lives point to regular church attendance as a factor in handling life challenges and pressures. The Bible enjoins us not to forsake the assembly of the brethren as we see the day of the Lord approaching (Hebrews 10:25).
CONCLUSION: There are several other blessings that are bestowed on dwellers other than the aforementioned. We honor God with our presence when we come into His house, and those that honor Him, He honors back (1 Sam 2:30). The Bible says those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God (Psalm 92:13). There are nutrients in the house of God that those who are planted and rooted there partake of. Have a blessed month.
Ade(Gboyega) ESAN
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