I don’t know what I saw in the house we bought at our last duty station. We walked into a space that needed updating in just about every sense of the word. Forgive me if you just love orange, but I am not a fan; and the first thing to assault my senses was a large, very ORANGE wall. The exterior had rust red beams that reminded me of the big top of a three-ring circus. Here we were, taking on a project when I was about 8 months pregnant with our third baby, not to mention the busy kindergartener and curious toddler in tow.  What possessed us to take on such a project, knowing we’d be living in a construction zone for a good while after we moved in, I may never know. Somehow, we just knew this little house would be our home for three years there.  

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We spent a good portion of our time at that duty station updating every square inch of that house, interior and exterior. There wasn’t a place left untouched. Our 70’s haven transformed into something much more aesthetically pleasing! We never had any intention of staying in that home long term, but we poured so much of ourselves into each project. The sale of that house felt personal. We had taken ownership of every part. It was ours. No new owner could possibly know how far it had come. We had dwelled there, sure, but we invested so much more.

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As I read the detailed instruction for the sanctuary God wanted Israel to build, two things stand out. First, the reality that God is the intentional architect, designer, and planner. He desired to dwell among His people, but His sanctuary would represent restoring the order that was lost in Eden. While the sanctuary would be a physical location for God’s presence to dwell, several elements of God’s specifications are symbolic of Jesus or a representation of Heaven. God specifies the dimensions, the materials, and the colors, all laid out in detail of how each item should look. His vision had intention; everything had purpose and meaning. We serve an intentional God.  

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The second thing that stands out to me when reading this section of Scripture is that God wanted the builder’s investment. This wasn’t some sloppy contracted work in which workers got paid to slap up some drywall and call it a day. Those who worked to build this sanctuary were invested contributors in God’s dwelling there. God speaks to Moses and says in verse 2, “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me.” That last line, “From every man whose heart moves him…” is an indication of invested love for God in their giving. God works through willing workers.  

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Couldn’t God move and use people who are oblivious to His work? Yep, and I am positive He has done this countless times. But God’s work is not just for the outcome of a finished project. God works in the hearts of those invested in doing His work while they are working. The workers love for God grows exponentially when they are invested, by their own contribution, and feel they have a purpose in God’s bigger plan. He chooses to contract the building of the Sanctuary, yet their heart posture and full commitment matter.  

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God has been moving and working since the beginning of time, always in pursuit of His people. We see God’s intentionality throughout the Old Testament. We see it in the detail of the sanctuary laid out to perfection. We see it through the prophets’ words who provided the specific details of Jesus’ birth and death. Isaiah 7:14 prophesies, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel,” which we know means God with us. God’s plan has always been to dwell with His people. He has always been a God who comes to us, because we cannot get to Him. He made a precise plan, comes to us in Jesus, and provides a way for us to contribute so we are invested in our relationship with Him. What a good, gracious, and loving God.

We are moving forward with Restoration Life and will continue to see echoes of this theme, likely, forevermore. I cannot help but see parallels in this story of God speaking through Moses to the Israelites. God is working. He has a plan. He’s inviting those whose hearts are stirred to contribute and be a part of what He is doing, all so He can dwell with us. Does this sound familiar? Are you invested in God dwelling among us?

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Just as I felt like that house I poured so much of myself into was mine, I pray that your heart moves you into building God’s dwelling among us, so you will take ownership in investing in what God intends for His people, all so it can be in Alaska as it is in Heaven.