Inside the House

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. Psalm 36:7-8 NKJV

A hiker is on a walk in the mountains. It’s a nice day in late fall when he begins his hike. Unexpectedly, the weather changes and the temperature drops. Storm clouds gather. The hiker begins to look for shelter. Ahead of him, a few hundred yards off the main trail, he notices a log house.

When he arrives at the house he knocks on the door. There is no answer. As he wonders what to do, the storm begins to unleash its furry. Temperatures plunge, the wind increases and snow begins to fall. The house is the hiker’s only chance to escape the storm. He walks around the house and looks through a few windows. To his delight, he sees food supplies on the shelves, bottled water on the kitchen table, blankets on a chair, warm clothing hanging from hooks on the wall, and a tall pile of firewood next to the fireplace.

Everything the hiker needs is in the house: food, drink, dry clothing, warmth, comfort, shelter. But he can’t get in. He has no key, and the windows and doors are locked. Frustrated, he decides to take another look through a nearby window. To his surprise, he sees the figure of a man sleeping in an easy chair in the corner of the living room. The hiker realizes that the things he needs can be available to him if he can awaken the man and get him to open the door and invite him in.

The hiker pounds loudly at the door and looks through the window again. He sees the man beginning to stir and get to his feet. The hiker knocks again, excited that help is on the way.

The story of the hiker is not an illustration of what our relationship with God looks like as believers in Jesus Christ. We are not trying to gain entrance into God’s house, and we do not need to be “pounding on the door of His promises” hoping to get His attention so we can receive what we need and find shelter from the storm.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, you are already in the house. You can’t entreat your way in through prayer, you can’t buy your way in through giving, you can’t earn your way in through serving. God welcomed you and brought you into His house through grace, the day you gave your heart to Him. You are in Christ, not separated from Him; you are a friend, not a stranger; you are an heir, not an alien; you are a child, not an orphan; you are in the household of faith, not an outsider.

As someone who is in God’s house, you have complete access to all God has provided for you through His Son—every spiritual blessing is yours; you are complete in Him; He is your life; He is in you and you are in Him; He is your “yes” to every promise.

When you bring your needs to God in prayer, ask, not as an outsider looking in, but as a child who is living in his Father’s house. Ask in full assurance of faith. And as you ask, hear Him say, “You will be satisfied with the fullness of My house. Come drink at the stream of My pleasures.”

©2019 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. All rights reserved.