And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.
Revelation 21:3
Reflecting the longing of our hearts, the song Is He Worthy? asks this question: “Does God intend to dwell again with us?” When God created the Garden of Eden, he walked in the evening with Adam and Eve, enjoying close fellowship with his people. But after the Fall, humanity was banished from the Garden and their fellowship with God broken. From that moment on, people have been trying to restore what was lost. But people are unable to restore it. We broke it and we can’t fix it.
In the tabernacle, God dwelled in the Holy of Holies, his presence represented by a flame. Israel knew that God lived among them. But, even then, they could not enjoy the true fellowship with God, an honour that was reserved for the chief priest once a year when he entered the sacred space on behalf of the people. Then came the Babylonian exile, the ark disappeared, and God fell silent. God’s people continued their rituals and sacrifices, but no flame burned, and they wondered together, “Where is our God?”
Into this time of silence a young girl, going about her daily business, was startled by an angel. How bizarre those first moments must have been with her mind racing as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing and hearing. How many times must she have replayed those minutes in her brain in the days that followed! “Did it really happen? What did it mean? Was I dreaming?” But as her body started changing with the new pregnancy, the reality must have begun to sink in: God had given her a child. The words “the holy Child shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35) must have reverberated through her whole being.
With the birth of Christ, God returned to dwell among his people. While on earth, Jesus ate, slept, travelled, laughed, cried, worked, and truly lived with his people. When Christ ascended, he sent the Holy Spirit—the church saw the coming of the Holy Spirit and believers received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit—God with us and in us.
But we have not yet been fully restored to the intimate fellowship of those evening walks in the Garden with God. That is still to come. Jesus’ birth was the beginning of the restoration of humanity, not its completion. We long for the day when what is indistinct becomes face to face, what we know in part is known fully. We know that day is coming because God has promised it and, just as he fulfilled his promise to Israel by sending Messiah, we can trust him now for the day to come when we will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.
As it has been said, Father, we know it to be true: “Because you have made us for yourself, our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” Give us such rest, Lord, as we enjoy and await your presence.
Val Lyon
* Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, ©The Lockman Foundation, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1995. Used by permission.
** The above was taken from Glory to God in the Highest: A Christmas Devotional (Oakville: Proclamation, 2024).
By job title, Alice is the office administrator at Oakridge. But her behind-the-scenes efforts go far beyond that! She is actively involved in the leadership team for the Tuesday evening women's bible study, she is on the mission committee, and she has recently both stepped into the leadership of church bridal and baby shower celebrations, and started teaching in our Ozone kids program. Oh, and if you see any special seasonal or holiday decorations around the church, it's a safe bet that Alice was involved!