God dwells in heaven. God has always dwell in heaven. It is where we will go when we leave this world and we will find Him there to welcome us home.
2 Chronicles 6:39 Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications…
We also know that God dwells everywhere. He is not confined by space or time. He can be at all places at all times. While this has an element of comfort at times, it can also make God feel distant and unapproachable. Where should you go if you want to go to the Lord?
It can be more comforting to know where He is; to know where He is dwelling. If I know this, I can go to Him. I can spend time with Him. I can seek and receive His guidance and comfort.
I read that He dwells in the thick darkness. This is a little more relatable, but still distant and obsecure.
2 Chronicles 6:1 Then said Solomon, The LORD hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
I don’t know where the “thick darkness” is, but I know I have felt it. I have felt its presence when I don’t know what to do in a situation, and silence and no action is my only option. I have felt its weight when I am experiencing deep sadness or depression. It is comforting to know that my God is in that thick darkness. I can speak to the darkness and know that He is there. He is there to receive me and guide me through to the other side.
God did not stay distant and in an intangible state. He desired to be relatable to man.
2 Chronicles 6:18 But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!
Becoming more relatable, we know that God dwells on this earth. He came to dwell on earth as Jesus. What an amazing thing to know that God has walked on this earth. He has experienced every phase and trial of life so that we would know His depth of understanding. He provided us with something that is tangible. He has become something we know that was seen, and something that was touched. He is physically real and not just spiritually existent.
Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
God was with us on earth, and God IS with us! When I have a conversation with my Lord, I can with the knowledge that He is with me.
But God can be even closer. He can have a dwelling place that is even nearer than heaven, and even closer than the deep darkness. He can dwell in my heart!
Solomon built a house for the Lord, and the Lord honored that invitation and came to dwell in that house.
2 Chronicles 6:2 But I have built an house of habitation for thee, and a place for thy dwelling for ever.
2 Chronicles 5:13-14 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.
Just like Solomon built a house, I can prepare a room for Him in my heart. I can invite Him in, and in fact, He promises that He will honor that invitation. I am reminded of Revelation 3:20 which tells me that the Lord stands at the door of my heart ready to be let it, if only I will open the door and let Him in.
But what kind of room am I inviting the Lord into. Will it be comforting, and restful for Him? Or will He find it filled with artifacts of selfish desires, devices, and motives?
Proverbs 1:29-31 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
As I read this verse, I realized that I don’t want the room of my heart filled with just anything, and I am aware of the risk of filling my heart my “my own devices.” So how do I prepare my heart for the Lord?
Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
2 Chronicles 6:41 Now therefore arise, O LORD God, into thy resting place…
God can be so near, and I can know for certain where He dwells. When I invite God in, He accepts and is so close, so relatable, so near, and so approachable. I know where God dwells.
Related Bible Passages:
2 Chronicles 5-6
Psalms 1
Proverbs 1
Matthew 1-2
Have a face to face conversation with your Lord:
Lord, have I invited you in to dwell near to me?
Lord, is the room that I have prepared for you filled with my own devices?
Lord, do I come to you and visit you in your dwelling place?
Lord, thank you for coming near to me and dwelling close by. I know I can come to you and you will be there.
Glory, Strength, & Beauty 