The Best Dwelling Place

 

 

 

 

Our home, our dwelling place, has been a place of rest and security for me, especially during my health challenge of cancer and treatments in the past year.

We can choose where we physically dwell but also where we let our minds dwell.

 

 

 

When I had the first cancer diagnosis twenty-two years ago, the Lord gave me the image to “rest in the refuge of God.” Each time I had a biopsy or surgery, I returned to His refuge, a unique dwelling place of holy comfort.

God has been my dwelling place when cancer again rocked my soul in mid-2024.

The Lord gave me His peace when I felt weak and overwhelmed going through surgery and extensive treatments.

The word “dwell” came from the Hebrew word yashab, which means to “remain, sit or abide.”

The negativity of the world or our personal situations is strong but hope in the Lord is stronger.

Where do you dwell in your mindset?

When we dwell on something, we continually think about it. The thoughts dominate us whether it’s a major event or an everyday worry. Constantly focusing on the negative becomes a hindrance to daily living. We can become fearful and full of worry when we watch the news.

When we turn to Bible, we find positive direction for our thoughts.

What does it means to dwell with the Lord?

In the Psalms, God is often described as a refuge or a dwelling place.

I’ve turned to the Lord as my refuge, knowing He was with me in the past and will continue to be with me.

The Amplified Bible expresses Psalm 27:4 this way:

“One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, To gaze upon the beauty [the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur] of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.”

The one thing is where I choose to focus my mind.

I can choose to dwell my thoughts on what the Lord says in his word.

The Bible gives benefits of dwelling with the Lord through prayer, reading the Bible, and keeping our eyes on Him.

We have a place of security for our souls.

We have a place of protection from fear.

 

We have a place of rest in the presence of God.

Jeremiah, the author of Lamentations, was honest with his emotions before God.

Lamentations 3:20-23 says,

“I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.

He pauses to make a choice that shifts the direction of his heart.

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:”

He took the action to remember what God had done. The result was restoration of hope.

What did Jeremiah remember?

 

He dwelled on the faithfulness of God.

Where will you settle your thoughts?

If you need to restore your hope, consider the dwelling place of your mind.

Look to the Lord as the secret dwelling place for your soul.

God is faithful. He was in the past, he is today—even in the hard times—and he will be in the future.

 

 

Security, protection, and rest for our souls are found when we dwell our hearts and minds with the Lord.

Where do you dwell your thoughts?