Growing up, I moved an average of every two years. My parents were missionaries. Sometimes we moved countries, sometimes we moved to a new state or to a new town within that same state. It wasn’t until I was a freshman in high school that my parents bought a home and stayed in the same town. So I smiled to myself recently while reading 2 Samuel, when David tells the prophet Nathan, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent!” (v.7 NIV).
God had given Israel peace from their wanderings and from their enemies. They finally had a sense of stability and some permanence in their lives. But the Lord responded through Nathan that He does not need a house built from cedar. He tells David that David’s son would one day build a house for Him and that God would permanently establish David’s royal line. “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me,” 2 Samuel 7:16 says. “Your throne will be established forever” (NIV).
I enjoy camping, but it always feels good to come home. I value the lessons I gained from moving so much and living in so many different places, but there is a longing to fully settle and be truly home. That might never fully happen until Heaven. God is not limited by the need to have a dwelling place like humans do. Jesus spent much of His ministry without a permanent home. “Foxes have dens,” He said, “and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20 NIV). God could never be contained in a single tent or even a temple. His glory fills the universe, and the earth is His footstool.
Recently, our landlord listed the place we are renting for sale, and it does feel unsettling not to know if we will be able to renew our lease in a few months. It has been such a great space, and I wonder if we’ll be able to stay or if we will be moving once again. But one thing I do know is that God is faithful. He faithfully provided this place for our family, and He will continue to lead us until we one day reach that permanent home in Heaven.
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My dad was a minister, and we also moved on an average of every two years. Even as an adult, the longest I have lived in any one house has been seven years. So I can relate to not having a permanent dwelling on earth. The Peter and Paul compared our earthly body to a tent, and we long for a permanent house in heaven. That is such a beautiful promise! Thank you for sharing.