“God of Heaven’s Armies, you find so much beauty in your people! They’re like lovely sanctuaries of your presence.” Psalms 84:1 (TPT).
I heard a quote this week that really amazed me! Someone from ‘Jesus Culture’ said: “God visits many places; He rests in few. God visits many people; He rests in a few. It’s because it takes compatibility.” That quote truly amazes me on so many different levels…
There’s something intimate, very leisurely and unrushed about resting with someone – much more so than just visiting someone. It reminds me of the verse in The Message Translation: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me, and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matt 11:28-30 MSG).
The Bible tells us we’re God’s ‘dwelling place’ and we, as His people, are described as His living temple (2 Cor. 6:16). This kind of language might sound odd to our modern ears, but it must have been mind-blowing to the Jews who knew the great importance the Temple had in the Old Testament. That was THE dwelling place of God’s presence. A long list of rules and sacrifices had to be observed to be ‘on good terms’ with God for them to be ‘compatible’ with the presence of God. The most devastating times in Israel’s history were typically linked to the presence of God leaving Israel.
Fortunately for us today, on this side of the Cross, we know Jesus paid the price we could not pay. He met all the rules and fulfilled all the sacrifices necessary for us to be on good terms with God once again. I once heard someone say that the Holy Spirit could not have been poured out before the sacrifice of Jesus cleansed us. Now that we’re forgiven and cleansed, we can be ‘compatible’ with God; we can know God and be His sanctuary where His presence can rest. Visits are great! But we want more than just occasional encounters with God. We want deeper abiding. We want His presence to be at home in us and compatible so that nothing offends or interrupts His presence within us. We want a lifestyle that is compatible with His continual presence in us.
I once heard the senior pastor of Bethel Church in California, Bill Johnson, ask the audience, ‘If a bird landed on your shoulder and you didn’t want it to leave, wouldn’t you go about your day with the bird in mind? Wouldn’t you ensure that everything you did was gentle enough to not chase the bird away? Now, if the Holy Spirit who rests in you, how much more shouldn’t you be mindful to live in a way that does not interrupt His presence?’
Heavenly Father, thank You for the privilege of knowing You and being able to do life with You. We ask for a deeper understanding of what it means to be ‘compatible’ with Your presence and to know how to live in such a way that Your presence rests in us continuously and not sporadically. May we be a people that You truly delight in and love to be around. May all that we are be a pleasure for You to rest in. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.
