Psalms 27:4-5 (NIV)
One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.
Mark 14:12-16 (NIV)
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him. “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”So he sent two of his disciples telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” The disciples left, went into the city and doing things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
Devotion
What is among the most basic and fundamental needs for every person? Maslow would tell us shelter and safety are right at the top of the list (or bottom of the pyramid). Perhaps he consulted David and Mark as he developed his theory. In both passages a place to dwell, to find safety and to attend to basic needs, takes prominence in the story.
Both are examples of bold faith – Psalm 27 is subtitled “Triumphant Faith of David” and Mark’s telling of the disciples seeking the Upper Room is one where the main characters had to be thinking “Well, ok, if you say so, we’ll try, but…” And yet, in both a place to dwell is provided. There is safety. There is security. There is even space to worship God.
It’s easy to identify with David who beseeches and blesses God for his security. Or with the disciples who stepped out in faith and found success through following Jesus’ instructions. But this Maundy Thursday – the remembrance of what comes in the verses just after Mark’s passage – I challenge each of you to identify with the owner of the house.
He heard a stranger’s request for real and practical needs and he met them. He was God’s arms and legs here on Earth, and through his actions he also brought David’s words to life, giving Jesus and the disciples a safe dwelling in troubled times. We too are called to be God’s arms and legs, to provide safety in troubled times.
Prayer
Lord, grant us your heart so that we may each do our part to make Lewinsville a shelter for all who enter, and that we make our very presence a peaceful dwelling for all we interact with.
Kelly Sexton