O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

   - Psalm 15.1

O God, Lord of creation, I invoke you...You are my king. You are my law. Yours is my flesh, my body. I love you, blessed Christ, for my soul is yours tonight. Let me not conceal it, O King. May I be in your royal dwelling all my days. May I eat the feast from your table. Do not leave me behind, O God.

  - Anonymous, Irish, 8th-9th century

Every sincere believer finds great comfort in the promise of Jesus to be with us always, even to the end of the age (Matt. 28.20).

We are never alone in this world. We are never out of His sight, beyond the reach of His steadfast love and faithfulness, or where He cannot care for us and meet all our needs (Heb. 13.5).

This is great comfort, indeed, knowing that Jesus is with us always. But it is great comfort as well as a source of hope, a motive for expanding vision, and an impetus to good works to be with Jesus where He is.

Paul says we have been seated with Christ at the right hand of God (Eph. 2.6). Have you ever pondered the vista from that vantage point? Ever considered the world, its troubles, and your place in it from the perspective of the One Who sits on the eternal throne, putting all His enemies under His feet (Ps. 110)?

David longed for such a constant vantage point on his life – to see himself, his world, his struggles from the throne of the King on high, and to rest in His sovereign might and love. We are commanded to set our minds on the things that are above, where Christ is seated in the heavenly places (Col. 3.1-3). I’m always surprised and puzzled by the number of sincere believers I meet who haven’t the slightest idea what this means, how to perform it, or why they should.

To see the world as Jesus does is to rest in His sovereign might and wisdom, to submit to His sovereign will and hand, and to know complete assurance and unshakeable peace. Rejoice to know that Jesus is with you always, in every situation. But plead earnestly with Him, that you might know more of the reality of living from His side, seeing your life as He does, and drawing on His transforming power to turn the world rightside-up for Him.

We are a people called to live “under the heavens” and not merely “under the sun.” The sooner we begin to live this way, the more real will be our faith.

Psalm 15.1, 2 (Arlington: “This Is the Day the Lord Has Made”)
Lord, who may dwell within Your tent, or on Your holy hill?
All they who keep Your covenant and walk within Your will.

All they who with integrity work peace and righteousness,
Forever in God’s house shall be forgiven, kept, and blessed.

Teach me to live from above to below, O Lord – from Your presence to my present.