A Place For Him To Stay

As we prepare to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, my thoughts and preparation have been on creating a place for Him to stay.

In years past, I’ve thought of an empty room. I’ve gotten all the bad stuff out. It’s all cleaned out, but it’s just an empty room. I thought, This is not very inviting for someone who’s coming to stay, there’s nowhere to sleep or sit, not even a light in the room.

I’ve envisioned that God would bring all those things, or maybe He doesn’t need any of those things, but if I want Him to stay, it needs to be a place to live. And so, in the story of the Shunammite woman who built a room for Elisha to stay, she added a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. These four things created a space that was functional. It was fully furnished.

• Bed: peace … ark — A place in me prepared for peace

• Table: receive … showbread — A place in me prepared to receive

• Chair: rest … altar of incense — A place in me prepared to communicate together

• Lamp: revelation … understanding … illumination — A place in me prepared to see

Over the years, we have seen the representation of the Tabernacle that Moses was instructed to build in the wilderness, and we can equate that to the church and to parts of our own lives.

But I wanted to make this a personal thing, that in me is a place for God to dwell.

And beyond that, those four things represent something that God can come and do in me.

This is a place in which I am still and know that He is God, and together we live.

Martha was busy trying to get the room cleaned out, while Mary recognized His arrival and simply sat with Him and listened to Him. As we approach this time of God’s arrival, may we be prepared to sit with Him in a place that is ready. And if it’s not perfect, let us be thankful that He will help us complete it, making it a home.

As we look forward to celebrating the Day of Atonement, letting God know that yes, we want our names written in the Book of Life, I’m thankful that they are there, and that they need not be blotted out.

Reflection Questions

• How did this story help you in your preparation for Tabernacles?

• How do you see God’s coming and dwelling with you differently?

• What part of this message caused the Word of God to come alive to you?