Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Where's Your Emotional Home? | The Writings | Psalm 61

Episode Date: May 22, 2024

Where does your mind go during quiet moments in your day? What regularly distracts you? In today's episode, Jensen discusses Psalm 61 and the idea that where your mind goes matters. Read the Bible with us in 2024! This year, we’re tackling a group of Old Testament books traditionally known as “The Writings”— Psalms, Chronicles, Proverbs, Daniel, Ruth and more! Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter@TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Psalm 61

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work. I'm Jensen Holt McNair. In the quiet moments of your day, where does your mind go? When you're feeling unwanted emotions, where do you turn to distract yourself, to find comfort? See, chances are when your mind has moments of silence or when you're trying to push away unwanted emotions, your mind will default somewhere. maybe a to-do list. Maybe it's dreaming about a future you envision for yourself, your social media scroll, strategies for your business, parenting advice, your next purchase, your next vacation, your exercise and diet regimen. In his most recent book, John Mark Comer calls this place your emotional

home. He says it's where our minds wander to, to find solace and joy, where you go in your quiet moments. Now, if I'm honest, my emotional home is dwelling on the next thing that I have to look forward to, whether it's a vacation, a new home, a kid who is finally potty trained, sleeping through the night again. When I'm stressed and need a mental break, when I have a quiet moment, I comfort myself and fill the silence with dreams of the next thing. My husband has often said that in his silent moments, his mind returns to medicine, diagnoses, and how he would explain difficult medical news to one of his patients. See, we all have an emotional home.

The thing is, our emotional home shapes us. Comer says our emotional home matters because whatever we abide in, whatever our emotional home is, will determine the fruit of our lives for good or for ill. See, when my emotional home is the next thing, I'm never satisfied. I'm discontent. I'm frustrated when life doesn't go as I'd hoped, when the next thing doesn't come or it comes and it isn't as great as my imaginings. Our emotional home shapes us.

Comer's main point is that the hope of every Christian, is to find their emotional home in God, to return to God's presence in our daily lives again and again, and that if we do so, we will slowly see our lives shaped by this instead. Instead of being shaped by the things around us, will be formed by God, and slowly growing in the fruits of the spirit. Now, what this means is that where our minds find their refuge matters. It's either forming us into people more like God or less. This idea isn't a new one. In fact, it came from scripture.

Jesus himself told his disciples to abide in the vine in him so that they could bear fruit, to build their lives around him, to root themselves in Jesus so that they would become more and more like him. Even before Jesus came on the scene, God created an entire system of laws and feasts and rituals that continually reminded his people of his presence. We see a God who chose to dwell among his people in the garden, in the wilderness, in the tabernacle, in the temple. God called his people to be a nation set apart, a people who looked and acted different because they found their home, their safety, their refuge, in Him. In Psalm 61, we read a beautiful song written by David for the people of God to sing together. I can't help but notice as I read it. I can't help but notice as I read

it the ways that David is encouraging the people of God to return to God's presence, to desire to make their home in Him. Verse 1, hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint. See, David's language is illustrating to us that wherever the people of God are, even to the ends of the earth, and however they're feeling, even if they're feeling faint, they should call out to God, to ask him to lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. See, in times of trouble, God is where they have found safety and rest. God is where they turn to when they need protection.

Verse four, I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. There is a desire and a delight to be in God's presence. See, his tent refers to his tabernacle, the place where God's presence lived within his people, and they desired, they longed to be there with him. It's where they found solace and joy. Verse five, for you God have heard in my vows, you've given me the heritage of those who fear your name, increase the days of the king's life his years for many generations. May he be enthroned in God's presence forever. appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him, then I will ever sing in praise of your name and fulfill my vows day after day. When the people of God found their refuge, found their home in Him, they were moved to worship.

They were blessed by his love and faithfulness, by his promises, and it caused them to sing to worship and to faithfully obey and uphold his commands. Now here's the thing. If you know anything about the nation of Israel, about David, it's that this Psalm does not perfectly describe their track record. We are given countless instances in the Old Testament where the people of Israel failed, where they were influenced and shaped by the nations around them, and they rebelled against God, where they didn't seek his presence, his refuge, where they neglected his tabernacle, and filled the place where his presence dwelt with foreign idols. And so as we read this Psalm, it shouldn't make us go, I wish I could be like them, but I can't.

Or gosh, that must be so nice to desire to dwell with God, to find your joy and home with Him. We should see this Psalm for what it is. It's a song, sung by a congregation of people crying out to God that this would be true in their lives. As they sing these words over themselves, they're a prayer, a hope, and encouragement to each other, to the people of God that this would be so in all of their lives. Remember, if I'm honest with myself, my emotional home, my refuge is not always found in God. I am still learning. I'm still growing. But as I read Psalm 61 today, it became my prayer. I want my refuge, my emotional home to be found in God. I want to abide in Jesus, to make my home in Him so that the outpouring of my life wouldn't be discontentment and frustration,

but love, joy, peace, patience. If I've learned one thing, it's that growth is often slow. It does not often come without its missteps and derailments. But the good news is the God that I am trying to build my home in is faithful, and he has always been on a mission to be with his people forever. From the very beginning, God delighted to dwell with his people. And time and time again when they failed, he was faithful to guide them, lead them, correct them, and rescue them. Ultimately, he became a human himself. In the person of Jesus, he lived alongside of us, showing us what it looks like to live the perfect human life,

a life where your home is found in God every second of every day. And then he gave himself over to death, so that you and I could have a future where we live alongside him in resurrected, perfected bodies forever. We will one day live in constant awe and awareness of God's presence, God's goodness, God's kingdom. Our refuge, safety, and home will be safe in his kingdom. God has already made a way. And until that day, when Jesus unites heaven and earth and resurrects his people to live along beside him, he sent his spirit. His Holy Spirit is dwelling in the lives of believers, making us ever aware of Jesus' presence. So we read Psalm 61 today. Write sections of it out and put it on your mirror in your car as you walk out of your house. Remind yourself again and again to make your home

in the presence of God so that you will live your whole lives as worship to your creator, growing slowly in the fruits of the spirit. Abide in Jesus. Make your home in God.