“LORD, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. / Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God…” ~Psalm 90.1-2
This is Psalm 90.1-2, but you need to read the whole chapter to get the context of the depressive mood of this particular generation in which Moses is writing [especially verses 3-11].
More on that later…but you’re probably already identifying with him!
But, what struck me immediately as I was reading and meditating this morning in this familiar Psalm is that Moses recognizes that YAHWEH is the dwelling place of His saints in all generations. Now, you think about that because you are living in one of those generations. Moses was writing in a generation – his own generation. This was the wilderness-wandering generation. A whole generation of premature dying and deaths [see verses 9-11]. Read Numbers 14.20-38 for a dark backstory commentary on this Psalm. Think about that! For 40 long years, the positivity and fatality rate for death and dying was 100% for a whole generation! Every. Single. Day.
But, IN ALL GENERATIONS, ‘LORD, YOU HAVE BEEN OUR DWELLING PLACE!’ Regardless of what generation was, has been, or is now, IN ALL GENERATIONS, ‘LORD, YOU HAVE BEEN OUR DWELLING PLACE!’
Regardless of what all was going on in those generations or is now going on in YOUR GENERATION, ‘LORD, YOU HAVE BEEN OUR DWELLING PLACE IN ALL GENERATIONS!’
This is all-inclusive: “…FROM EVERLASTING TO EVERLASTING YOU ARE GOD!” Whatever generation has been, is now, and ever will be – from the beginning to the ending of all generations, YAHWEH has been God! and He has been the Dwelling Place of His saints!
So, that being true – and it is! – then what kind of Dwelling Place is YAHWEH? You need to think about this because if YAHWEH is your Dwelling Place, then this is the kind of Dwelling Place He is to you…right here, right now: [drawing also from the following companion Psalm 91]
- safe & secure [see 91.3-13]
- personal & welcoming [see 91.1-2]
- available & accessible [see 91.14-15]
- faithful [see 91.4]
- confident [see 91.9-10, 14-15]
- sufficient & satisfying [see 90.14 & 91.16]
- happy … truly happily ever after … everlastingly! [see 90.15 & 91.16]
This is my prayer and I pray you will make it yours also: “So teach us to number our days [take stock, inventory, consider, take into account] that we may get a heart of wisdom” – THIS wisdom!
Psalm 68.20 ~ Our God is a God of salvation, and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
Psalm 48.12-14 ~ Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that THIS IS OUR GOD, OUR GOD FOREVER AND EVER! He will guide us FOREVER!
Regardless of what generation you’re living in, and regardless of what all is going on in your generation, IF THIS GOD IS YOUR GOD, THEN HE IS YOUR DWELLING PLACE! And you’re going to be more than OK!
~Dave Parks 