David asks: "Who can abide in God's tent? Who can dwell in His holy hill?"
What profound questions these are to me this morning!
He's recognizing just where it is he plans to pitch his tent. (And the words "abide" and "dwell" mean he's planning to stay there a while). David wants to take up residence in a place he can be certain he won't be kicked out of; a place where he can belong.
So he teaches his heart, and mine along with it, to mentally train for what has to happen in order to "set up camp" with the Almighty:
We have to walk with integrity, and our works must be righteous.
We must speak truth in the very place that will then feed our words-our hearts.
We cannot slander with, what James calls, "a restless evil and full of deadly poison"-our tongues.
We cannot do evil to our neighbor, or take up a case against our friends.
We must despise the actions of a person without principles, and honor those whose actions display a fear of the Lord.
We must swear to our hearts that we will not break the vows we have made to the Lord; we must choose to obey.
We cannot give with the expectation of receiving anything back.
We must never take a bribe against the innocent.
David tells me that "this person" will never be shaken. "This person" will abide with God. "This person" will dwell in a holy place; a sandals off your feet place. And like David, I don't just want to visit this place...I want to abide there. I want to plant stakes there.
So, how do I begin this day?
The same way David said to...the one who walks.
Stakes in hand, sandals off my feet, a heart intent to obey, and feet to the floor.
