The Deal

Covenant and Community: Chapter Three in How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place

With every man he has a secret—the secret of the new name. In every man there is a loneliness, an inner chamber of peculiar life into which God only can enter—the innermost chamber.

— George McDonald (1824-1905)

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I knew this day would come. I could see the beast in the atmospheric blue distance. The unforgettable silhouette of a panther-like creature had paced restlessly, back and forth, waiting for his time. The predator was closer every year. I could tell. The menacing creature never took its fiery eyes off me. Both predator and prey knew a most unpleasant meeting was inevitable. And I knew the creature’s unleashing would likely remove me from the “courts of the Lord.”

This beast I sensed throughout the days, years, and decades of my ministerial service represented the ever-looming prospect of my own physical decline. This limitation could cut short or at least disfigure the contours of the vocation I feel so profoundly. A metaphor? If you like. A reality? Every Sunday.

The diabolical threat created a simultaneous citadel. For as long as I have been shepherding the flock of Christ, I have been kept by the Holy Spirit in the secure domain of Psalm 84, verses 1 through 3:

How lovely is your dwelling place, 

          O LORD of hosts! 

   My soul longs, indeed it faints 

          for the courts of the LORD; 

     my heart and my flesh sing for joy 

          to the living God.

   Even the sparrow finds a home, 

          and the swallow a nest for herself, 

          where she may lay her young, 

     at your altars, O LORD of hosts, 

          my King and my God. 

Did you read that? “Even” the sparrow finds a home. I sometimes heard myself whispering, “And I have found a place under Your altar, O Lord. I am home.” For one who knows about homelessness, the promise of home is mighty good news.

The Bible scholar Dr. Tremper Longman wrote with insight into the well-spring of the Psalmist’s love for God expressed through worship and conducting worship in the Temple:

“Psalm 84:1–7 (TOTC Psalms): The speaker cannot contain his emotions as he thinks of the Temple (your dwelling place). He finds himself irresistibly drawn to that beautiful structure. The Temple’s architecture and ornamentation were physically beautiful (1 Kgs 7) but also spiritually lovely since it was the place where God made his presence palpable. The Psalmist’s yearning for the Temple was a yearning for God . . .”

I experienced a yearning for God and a sense of His presence and pleasure. I was an orphan boy given a home with Aunt Eva, only to gamble with grace for sin and, at length, be supernaturally saved by the Christ who would never let me go, “plucked like a bran from the burning,” to quote Wesley. To preach the unsearchable riches of the Savior in the House of God Almighty, among saints and sinners, was an inexpressible joy, a blessing I never took for granted. Never. I determined to treasure each moment I conducted divine services unto the King of Kings. Yet, I could see the beastly image of the creature beyond the congregation before me. I preached as freely as one could imagine. I felt the wind of the Spirit in my sail carrying me on to declare the unsearchable riches of Christ.

Yet, I knew. One day, I would be silenced in the House of the Lord, dragged from beneath the altars, my home, and silenced once and for all. Whether it would be sickness or death, I did not know. But I knew I had to preach to as many as possible, get the Word out while there was still daylight. For the winter would come. And that suddenly. Thus, I planted churches and a school, wrote books and articles, and served in academia and as a military chaplain, even as I shepherded a flock and preached weekly. “Reach as many as possible by all means available for the night cometh:” that was the passion beneath the activities. I had wasted so much time. I sensed that I had a narrow window. I wanted to offer as much of myself as I could. It cost. But I would do it all over again.

The image I saw seemed to tell me in his muffled snarl, “Preach now. But tomorrow, you are mind to ravage.”

And that was the deal.

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1. Tremper Longman, Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary (InterVarsity Press, 2014), 310

Questions for Reflection

The questions in this chapter encourage reflection, discussion, and prayer on the interplay between personal vulnerability and the comfort of God, as demonstrated in Psalm 84.

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1. The Solitude of the Inner Chamber:

George McDonald spoke of a special inner chamber of life only God could enter. Think about the moments when you felt God’s unique presence in your own inner chamber, especially during times of solitude or difficulty. How has this solitude become a place where you encountered God, and how has it influenced your perception of His personal care and knowledge of you?

2. The Metaphor of the Beast and the Promise of Home:

The “beast” represents the various challenges and declines we face in life, whether physical, spiritual, or emotional. Take a moment to think about your own “beast” that is looming in the distance. How does the promise of finding a home under God’s altar, as experienced by the psalmist, bring comfort and courage to face this challenge? How have you found solace and security in God’s presence during these difficult times?

3. The Urgency of Proclaiming the Gospel:

Please take a moment to reflect on the limited time we have on earth and how it has urged us to spread the Gospel. Think about the actions, decisions, or commitments you have made to make sure you use your time wisely for the Kingdom of God. Consider how the awareness of “night cometh” has influenced your priorities, ministry, and personal journey with Christ.