Come Home: Tracing God's Promise of Home Through ScriptureSample

Carried By God Naming my children was a big deal to me. It’s such pressure to, you know, DECIDE WHAT EVERYONE WILL CALL THESE HUMAN BEINGS FOR THEIR ENTIRE LIVES! I took it quite seriously. My husband and I gave one of our sons a name with this rich meaning: carried by God. This son joined our family through adoption, and we are so, so, so glad to be his. We are also so, so, so aware that adoption means a child has lost a family. (Sometimes, we Christians forget this part and only think about the family gained. For any sisters reading this who are adoptees, I know you have much to teach us. I know your story of home is complicated. God’s promises are for you.) We gave our son his name to help him view his story in light of God’s story. Atop every school paper and every form in his life, he will scribble an important truth. To everyone who asks his name, he testifies, “I’m [carried by God].” Of course, we do not always understand the way God carries us, and while being carried, it’s okay to question, to grieve, and to receive His comfort. But it steadies us to know we can grapple with our pain and confusion from the safe position of being held in the arms of God. Interestingly, Moses used this tender metaphor to describe how God led His people. He said, “the LORD your God carried you as a man carries his son all along the way you traveled until you reached this place” (Deut. 1:31). Moses’s words are an excerpt from a speech he gave to the new generation of Israelites as they prepared to say goodbye to Moses and enter the promised land under the leadership of Joshua. By the way, the first five books of the Bible are called the Pentateuch and are commonly grouped together. They are considered to have been written almost exclusively by Moses under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The books contain more than narrative, but the included narratives take us from creation to the flood to the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel—to Moses, the exodus, and the wilderness wanderings. By the time we get to the end of Deuteronomy, we find Moses instructing the new generation—the one given the promise when their parents before them doubted God (Num. 14:19-35)—so they can enter their new home knowing God, following God, loving God. One of the things Moses did for this new generation was orient them in their history. As mentioned, they were the descendants of Israelites who, when God first brought them to the outskirts of the promised land, doubted God’s power and goodness. And really, it went further than doubt. They almost considered Him an enemy! Deuteronomy means “second law” because Moses offers God’s law to the new generation. When people forget God’s words, home suffers greatly. Their parents had not chosen God’s ways and, thus, not chosen life. (In fact, they’d gone even farther than treating God’s goodness with suspicion; they suspected God was evil!) But this new generation had an opportunity to live differently as they stepped into this new home: rather than follow their fathers’ ways, they could follow the Father’s ways. If they loved the Lord—the Life-Giver—wholeheartedly, they would thrive in the land God provided. Dear sister, your Keeper cares for and carries you. When you struggle to follow His word, cling to His character. He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in faithful love and truth. He is the Life-Giver whose way is life! Remember that though the story of home in Scripture zigs and zags, every angle points to God’s faithfulness. This is true in your story, too. Read Deuteronomy 1:25-32 and 30:19-20 and think about how God has carried you and been faithful in your life.