Dwelling

Proverbs 1:33

“but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

In a world that is surrounded by evil we find our safest dwelling place in the presence of God. There is a clear promise from God in this piece of scripture that if we listen to God we will be safely dwelling in His presence. We must ask ourselves this question, are you listening to God? Another question to ponder, is my focus on God or on myself. See this verse clearly states that the only place that we can be safe from all the evil of this world is if we are dwelling with Christ. Our focus should be in Christ alone. I love the song that says “In Christ alone my hope is found.” This sums up exactly why we should be dwelling in God’s presence, because in His son alone is our only hope in this world found.

When storms happen in our lives the first place we should be running to is to God. Trust me, when I lost my dad in October of 2016 the only thing that I could turn to was God. I felt as if I had nobody else. Simply because I didn't want anybody else. I tell my congregation at the church that I serve at now that when my dad was battling cancer, that was the closest I have ever been to God. Our storms sharpen our faith. God also has a beautiful promise in the book of Isaiah that compliments this verse we’re looking at tonight.

Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” Christ is walking with us through our storms and our trials, even in the midst of the burning fiery furnace Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego kept their faith as they were facing death. They came out of the fiery furnace without a scratch on them and the reason is because of their faith to God as Jesus was with them in the midst of that fiery furnace (Daniel 3)

So stand strong and dwell in the presence of the Lord. The storm may seem eerie and violent and you may have even been contemplating turning to the things of this world to satisfy your needs in this trial. The reality is that Christ is all you need in your storm. Keep your eyes focused on the prize which is Christ and keep the faith. God is perfecting you through this. Be attentive to what God has to say to you for His presences is our greatest dwelling place.