I found myself buying a new Bible this week. That’s what happens when all your roommates leave on missions trips and you’re home alone. I determined not to spend my day inside that big empty house—I was going to leave and not come back until the sun starting setting. So I packed a bowl of cereal, my favorite spoon and a jar full of milk for breakfast. “I can do this!” I told myself, “I can totally have a fun and creative day all on my own!” Alone time is something I appreciate only in severe moderation. My plan was to start my day by going up to Hilltop and having breakfast with my Bible open in my lap, over looking the city. En-route, where did I end up? That’s right—inside Barnes and Noble hunting for that new perfect Bible.

I have a weakness for pretty things, and new things, and hence I always seem to be getting new Bibles. With each new one I tell myself, “oh yes! This is perfect! I will never want another one! This is exactly the Bible I will hold onto untill it’s weathered and worn.” I want that kind of Bible. But then a season changes, and I always feel like I want a new Bible for a new season. It’s a lost cause. But the beauty of new Bibles is that you have to go through them to find the new location of all your favorite verses. It’s like a trip down “favorite scripture” lane. My journey landed me in Psalm 107. I love Psalm 107 because it seems to cover everything; there is not a road in our journeys that this passage cannot speak to. One piece at a time, it so beautifully describes the redemption and restoration of God in every area of our lives, and it starts with Him bringing us home.

I have felt like verses 1-9 before—wandering in a desert, “finding no way to a city to dwell in.” I’ve had days when I felt as thought I was stuck in the lost and found pile, waiting for somebody to come pick me up. Aren’t we all looking for that place to belong? The first thing Psalm 107 tells us about the steadfast love of God is that He gathers us. “He delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in… For He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things.” 

I am a soul that has been abundantly satisfied with good things. I am one who has been gathered, and brought into that place of belonging. The journey that brought me here didn’t always feel like a “straight way” but this is a place called home for me, and I can testify to His promise that He has a “city to dwell in” for each of us. I love that it is always in the heart and promises of God to bring us home, and that He makes home a place that satisfies. It is a place where we get to dwell in goodness. He takes those who are troubled and in distress and He gives them safe havens and family.

I am convinced that the sense of being at home and truly belonging is a gift from God. It’s a gift I sought for a long time, and a gift He has given. I took a picture of the Sacramento River and placed it in my Bible by this verse to always remind me of the faithfulness of God. I am home.