Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Psalm 90:1
Yahoo’s online dictionary gives a couple of definitions for the word dwell. The first one is “to live or exist in a given place.” When the Psalmist spoke of God as our dwelling place, he didn’t mean a place to visit occasionally. Dropping in at church when we want to cross an item off our to-do list, or frantically calling the prayer chain when the cares of life weigh us down, is probably not what he had in mind. He meant a permanent place to live and exist–a place like he described in Psalm 91.
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge
and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge. Psalm 91:1-4
In addition to living or existing in a particular place, Yahoo says that dwelling can mean fastening our attention on something or someone. In Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, he told us how we could dwell on God.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8
The name of the Lord is a safe place to dwell, but we all know that bad things happen to everyone, even those who seem closest to God. Jesus said in Matthew 10:28 that we should “not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” If we faithfully dwell in God, even if we “walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” we can experience the peace that Paul wrote about in this passage:
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
Other names of God that begin with “D”:
And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.” Romans 11:26In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory,and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people. Isaiah 28:5
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9
Blessings,
Linda
Sources:
Linda Brendle's Life After Caregiving 
Comments on: "A to Z Challenge–The Names of God—D is for Dwelling Place| by Linda Brendle" (9)
Thank you for this post, Linda. There is a lot to contemplate here. One piece of wisdom it yields to me immediately is that Home is not to be sought or found in any physical place (much as physical places are dear to us).
Josna, there is a saying that sometimes shows up on cute plaques to display around the house – “Home is where the heart is.” However, there is a deeper meaning of home than just the place where you live with your family. If your heart is at home with God, you can feel His peace regardless of what is going on around you. Thank you for following along and for offering your insights.
Blessings,
Linda
I love your point about the word dwelling meaning more than just someplace you visit occasionally, but being a place to stay. That fits perfectly with Paul’s constant admonition to “walk in the spirit.” It’s a daily, constant thing – and, unfortunately, I need to be reminded of that too often. Thanks for sharing this!
You’re quite welcome, Chuck, and thanks for stopping by.
Blessings,
Linda
Lots of good verses here – many of my favorites! We can’t be reminded too much of the comfort we receive when we remember where our dwelling place is.
Absolutely, Donna. We spend so much energy worrying over things we’ve supposedly turned over to God. If we would just remember to dwell in and on Him, we would have so much more peace and joy. Thanks for stopping by.
Blessings,
Linda
Lovely post, Linda!
Thanks, Diana!
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