March 1, 2018

Pitching a Tent in Our Hearts

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”  John 1:14

Let’s focus for a few minutes on this very interesting word, “dwell.”  It is fascinating with its meanings.  Dwell in the Old Testament Hebrew had as its root the word Shekinah, as in the Shekinah glory of God.  This glory covering, if you will, walked with the Israelites during the wilderness journey, possessing the land, and continued until the days described in Ezekiel, Chapter 10, when God forlornly departed from the temple.  The removal of His presence and His glory was a result of the continued sin of His people.  Yet even then God promised through the prophets that His Glory would one day return.  In Zech 2:10 it was prophesied that “I am coming and I will dwell in your midst.”  We can refer to this dwelling presence as Jehovah-shammah – the Lord is there.

The word was partially fulfilled in Jesus, as “the Word became flesh and dwelt among them.”   Now we see the Greek term dwell used, which translates as “tabernacles.”  He tabernacled in the hearts of those who received Him as Lord and Savior, indeed He was Jehovah-shammah – the Lord was there.  Yet Jesus was rejected by those He desired to gather to Him, and so He too departed from the temple (Matt. 23:27) and removed His presence as Son of Man, but in so doing promised us a Helper, the Holy Spirit.  We have access to the Holy Spirit today and we await the returning Lord.  Marantha – come, Lord Jesus.  When He returns again as Jehovah-shammah, all Old Testament prophecy will be fulfilled.  He will come again. 

What an exquisite picture and promise!  We are complete in Him!  Rejoice.  And He is the head of all principality and power, which means all powers are subject to He who sits at the right hand of the Father.  When I call out His Name, I call out the head over all.

The Lord, in all His fullness, has pitched a tent in our hearts and we get a glimpse of His Shekinah glory as He tabernacles within us. We are complete in Him – do not be deceived or misled.  Ask the Father for new discernment, so that the treasure chest of wisdom and knowledge might be opened unto you.  Display a spirit of excessive thankfulness for what the Lord has done, is doing, and shall do.  Walk in Him, be rooted in Him, be firmly established in Him and ask for the Holy Spirit to help you, so that you might grasp how wide and how high and how deep and how long is the love of God.  (Eph 3:18).  May the Lord bless you with peace and love in your hearts.