Let me dwell in your tent forever!
Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Psalm 61:4
Years ago there was a commercial for a bath soak called Calgon. It showed a busy woman and everything that goes on during her day – kids, job, stress, demands. She sinks into a steamy tub in a quiet bathroom and whispers in relief, “Calgon, take me away!” Immediately the scene changes and she is in a lush garden of paradise and all is at peace.
But, eventually she’d have to get out of the tub and get back to life. Back to reality. Nothing will have changed. The kids will still be fighting, the dog barking, the bills screaming to be paid, the phone ringing off the wall. Her brief hiatus would be over, her escape into peace a dream.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. We must live in reality, but we have the permission to dwell in the eternal – in our hearts and minds. We can still go about our daily lives and yet be protected under the shadow of God. As long as we let Him, God will shelter us. His Spirit will dwell in us because now we are His temple. In the midst of chaos, pain and worry we can find refuge in His grace. All we need to do is call out to Him and sink into His warmth. He doesn’t have to take us away, He does something much better. He stays right beside us.
