05.25.2023 Psalm 23:6 The House of the Lord

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

The Good Shepherd leads His flock back to the safety of the sheepfold when their time in the wilderness is done. It is a walled enclosure near a town surrounded by a great grazing field. Here the sheep have no fear of predators. They rest secure. David concludes his great shepherd psalm with a vision of returning to this sheepfold, which he calls “the house of the Lord.” David is not talking about the entering the sanctuary of the church. The Apostle John was giving a glimpse of the house of the Lord at the end of his journey chronicled in Revelation. The house of the Lord is a new Jerusalem where God will dwell with His people. Our Good Shepherd will be there and His great Father, the owner of the sheep, living with us. We will know ultimate shalom, perfect peace and tranquility. This is the ultimate destination of those who travel with the Good Shepherd. He will bring us to a place of perfect peace He Himself has prepared (John 14). This is our true home. If you have ever been on a long trip, even a long and wonderful vacation, there is a sense of relief and joy when you get home. You feel safe. When we are led by our Good Shepherd into our ultimate home, the New Jerusalem, we will experience perfect peace and joy. Keep following your Good Shepherd, listening to His voice. The place He is leading us is more than worth the journey.

Lord Jesus, thank You for promising to lead us to the house of the Lord, my true home. I long for the shalom it will bring. Let that vision bring me hope and joy today. Amen.

How wonderful it is being a sheep in the flock of God. Our shepherd is the one that created the grass that we need for pasture, He is the one that created the rivers and the waters, He is the one who holds everything in His hand and He is my Shepherd. ― Edmond Sanganyado, The Good Shepherd

There are glimpses of heaven to us in every act, or thought, or word, that raises us above ourselves. — Robert Quillen