God’s presence and dwelling place among mankind has always been a thing. It is deeply embedded into who He is, His mission, and how he connects with His creation. God’s presence is stitched into the biblical narrative so that it is clearly part of His story.
Eden was the dwelling place of God, and God commissioned Adam and Eve to expand the boundaries of that dwelling place to fill the earth (Genesis 1:28). While God’s original call seemed to be thwarted by sin, God continues to establish his dwelling place in different forms which will shown throughout this devotional.
God continued to establish his dwelling place among the patriarchs until the building of the tabernacle and temple. After Solomon’s temple was destroyed, the prophets anticipate the coming of a new and expanding temple, and these prophecies would be fulfilled in Jesus and the church. The church as the dwelling place of God would expand until one day it filled the entire heaven and earth—the entire cosmos would become the dwelling place of God.
The mission of God did not begin with the Great Commission recorded in Matthew 28:18-20, but mission is God’s heartbeat from Genesis 1 until the new heaven and earth become the dwelling place of God in Revelation 21–22. This grand picture of the whole earth filled with God’s presence fulfills God’s original intention from the sanctuary of Eden. So that is where we begin.
7-DAYS IN GOD’S DWELLING PLACES
Day 1 – Eden
Day 2 – Pillar
Day 3 – Tent
Day 4 – Immanuel
Day 5 – Body
Day 6 – Zion
Day 7 – Rest
spreading the fame 