Christ Among Us

Exodus 25:18

“And let them create for me a habitation, that I may come and dwell among them.”

This has been one of the verses the Lord has recently laid on my heart and had me meditate on over the last few months. It was a verse the Holy Spirit first highlighted to me while listening to a sermon and has since allowed to remain as an echo in the recesses of my mind. It is one the Lord has continued to bring to mind in different moments, as He leads me to pray that the truth it communicates would begin to be newly realized in every facet of my life.

As I have begun to meditate on the verse, I started to ask myself what it looks like for myself to create a habitation for the Lord to come and dwell. There are obvious contextual elements at play in the interpretation of this scripture. The tearing of the curtain after Christ’s death signified the end of the days when God’s presence would be housed only within a small religious sanctuary, and would instead be free to find rest within the hearts of those who, through faith, allow Christ to dwell in their hearts (Ephesians 3:17). I began to ask whether there was any remaining significance in creating a habitation for the Lord in my life, and if there was, what that looked like. I began to pray that while I no longer had any need to go to a physical temple or church to encounter him, His presence would still come and dwell in a uniquely powerful way within my heart. I began to pray that his grace would allow this heart of mine to be a place where he was pleased to come and dwell.

It was in the midst of praying that Christ would dwell within me, that He began to highlight different areas and aspects of my heart where I was not creating a habitation for him. I began to repent. Hidden within my heart were small rooms and closets which were closed off, locked with a key, and unresponsive to his gracious knocking. A humble confession, made possible only through grace, began to flow from my lips. Here He highlighted to me the first relevant truth which Exodus 25:18 presently communicates to us. Christ’s presence within our lives is catalyzed through the repentance of a broken heart. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). If I wanted to see Christ dwell within my heart and life in a tangible way, repentance was to be not a single moment in my history, but instead a daily rhythm as consistent as the beating of my own heart.

During this period of meditation on Exodus 25:18, I ended up moving into a new house. It was a change in my life I didn’t necessarily see coming, but at the same time, for a multitude of reasons, seemed to have the hand of God all over it. Feeling God’s hand over the situation, I began to pray that He would speak or highlight to me different things during this time. He brought to mind this verse. “Create for me a Habitation.” I began to pray that this new house would be a place where his presence would be experienced in a very real, personal, and tangible way. He began to set dreams and visions within my heart of friends, strangers, community, and the church encountering his presence within the walls of the house. I lifted up the house to Him as an offering, praying that He would use the house as a space for people to come and experience the transformational work of His presence. I prayed that the house would be a place where people meet Him for the first time, and I began to ask for His vision over creating situations and atmospheres where that could happen. Here He communicated a second truth found in Exodus 25:18. While God’s presence is no longer restricted to the confines of a temple or building, we have the ability to create tangible spaces where His presence is pleased to dwell.

I believe that God’s presence changes things. I believe as carriers of His Spirit and vessels through which He is bringing Heaven to earth, we have the ability to change atmospheres. I don’t believe that someone can have an authentic encounter with the presence of Jesus and remain unchanged. I remember a word the Lord spoke to me long ago while in the midst of an intentional pursuit of purity. “Spend as much time in my presence as you can, for my presence is the only place sin can’t dwell.” There has been nothing more transformational in my life than the presence of Jesus. It is why I get up and seek it every morning. Nothing has sanctified the workings of this sinful and rebellious heart more than the daily practice of sitting with Jesus. His presence changes things, and I am a carrier of that very presence (1 Corinthians 3:16).

I pray that His presence would be welcome in my life. I pray that there would not be a single crevice in my heart, room within my house, relationship in my life, or moment throughout my day, which remains unresponsive to His Spirit’s persistent knocking at the door. May they all be places and moments in time in which Christ is pleased to come and dwell. May I be intentional in creating a habitation for the Lord and may I not resist a single moment where He would choose to graciously come and meet with me. May His grace create within me a spirit that is sensitive to his presence, an ear that is attentive to his voice, and a heart that is oriented towards walking in obedience to what He says. May the truths communicated in Exodus 25:18 be manifested within my life, allowing me to experience the abundant joy and transformational grace that can only be found through Christ dwelling with me.