Home Is Where His Heart Is.

Where is home for you? Is it your parent’s house, favorite coffee shop, or 1-bedroom apartment?

Or is it a person or a people? Who is home for you?

When I think about God and the Christian’s place in His story, I think about what that means for our lives if we are believers. The story of God (and, in turn, us) really is about returning to a place and a person—one that should be familiar yet is sometimes lost on us as people.

Romans chapter 3 says this:

21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets. 22 And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Romans 3:21-24

The verses preceding these can feel like a trudge into the dark depths of our souls, but Romans 3 ends on a high note here.

Before verse 21, chapter 3 reminds us of our condition apart from God—our sin, brokenness, and its impact on us and others. And if you keep reading, you get to the ‘but now’ in verse 21 and an ‘and’ in verse 24.

Essentially, we have access to righteousness (right standing and right relationship with God) through Jesus Christ. Although we all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, we are also justified (declared and made righteous before God)—a free gift of His grace through the redemption Jesus offers us. And that is the Good News.

But it doesn’t take much time on planet Earth to realize that, apart from God, “none is righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10) by their merit, and no one seeks God (Romans 3:11) out of their desire. However, it’s interesting when you slow down and think about how people are trying to find their way back to God, unbeknownst to them.

Why? How? Let’s think about this.

Again, I ask: Where, who and/or what is home for you?

We spend our whole lives searching. The list goes on for the right person, the right job, the right place, the right friends.

Really, we search for a resting place—a place where we feel like we can finally ‘kick up our feet’ and relax. And, we do this by any means necessary, oftentimes sacrificing to a fault. “If I could only… if I had only… if I was only…”

Recently, a family member of mine passed on from this life after a short time in hospice. The journey didn’t start there, though.

It actually started nine months ago, when my immediate family took them in after a health incident. For most of this year, this family member was cared for by other family members—taken to all their medical visits, coordinating home health, all of the things. Several times, we thought we were reaching the end point. There were several times hospice was in the conversation and we thought they would be nearing the end of their life.

But, for some reason, even through old age and a cancer diagnosis, they kept fighting to live. Even when the doctors said there was nothing more they could do, they would ask to be put on another medication, another harsh treatment and the process would seem to start all over again.

My prayers throughout that time were interesting. I didn’t really know what to pray for, as my family member was loved but also had complicated relationships. It’s like I could see the fight between (1) stopping the search for all the right things and resting in peace at the end of life and (2) fighting to keep searching, keep going, and resist life’s natural progression.

I could sense they may have had regrets in this life, but also that God’s mercy was wrestling with them and calling them. They couldn’t relax for the last nine months of their lives.

We spend our whole lives searching, even until the very end. And, for some reason, none of what we find really fulfills us. None of it provides complete happiness, contentment, or purpose. We don’t find what we thought we were looking for, and we never feel quite satisfied.

We want to know who we are, who we matter to and how we can be settled and secure in one place. The reality is that the only way to be found and come home is to know God. The truth is that you can’t get to who you are apart from God. He had an intent and purpose when he created you. He is the root of all you are, try as you might to run away from Him and this fact.

He created you – us – in His image, in His likeness—to do more than endlessly search and wander, lost and far away from home. This is His imago dei.

He intended for us to reign and rule with Him in a kingdom that is nothing like what this world has become. This is His missio dei. We’ve all strayed away, but there is a hope that calls us and gives us access and keys to our home.

• How do the lost become found?

• How do we get home?

• How do we get to the heart of God—the place where we find true purpose, belonging, and wholeness?

Reading the first three chapters of Romans feels like a setup—introducing a point of tension. There’s this stark reality of humanity’s sin and brokenness.

That tension is alleviated in 3:21-24 and put against who we have the opportunity to become in Christ. Here, we look over the fence at what life could look like:

How God changes our status and makes us right with Him, gives us a new family in His kingdom, and a new future, ending in eternity with Him.

So, we get to open the gate and walk in. We find our way home in the heart of God Himself.

Those the author, Paul, was writing to, both the nationalist Jew and the liberal Gentile (or otherwise), likely felt as if they were looking over the fence, too. He doesn’t overturn the moral law to say it doesn’t matter how you live, nor is he saying God only receives those who keep the law better. He says moral purity and patriotism can’t save you, nor can your ”any way to God” thing.

A way home is available because of the law-keeping person of Jesus Christ, who passes what He has earned to you, for you, in your place.

Practical Next Steps

Read: Romans 3-4

Journal: Write your thoughts and feelings about calling a place home and allow God to speak to your heart.

Listen: Home + Heart of God

Reflection Questions

Reflect on these questions as you think about finding your home in the heart of God:

• Where/who/what is home for you?

• What could it look like to find your home in the heart of God?

• What steps is God calling to take regarding this topic?

Let’s Pray Together

Father, help me, in all my searching, to find my home and resting place in You. Help me to let go of the temporary things in this life that can never be my true home. I release my search for home in Your heart. In Jesus’ name, amen.