What American has not been enthralled by the classic musical, “Over the Rainbow” starring Judy Garland and a host of famous others? I am old enough to say the first few times I saw it was on black and white television.

But I do remember when my aunt and uncle bought a color tv. The whole family had a party the Sunday afternoon the musical aired. We thought we died and went to heaven when we saw that the “yellow brick road” really was yellow… and the “Emerald City” really was emerald.

The thesis of the story can be wrapped up in six words: “There is no place like home.” It is a story line that has been used over and over, because you just can’t beat the truth of the theme and the way it plays on the heartstrings. 

In life, most of my dreams have taken me away from home–a place I am happy to be–mostly. And I have found or created “home” every place we have traveled. 

This morning we woke up to a beautiful rainbow arching over the mountains and valley, and it made me think about the musical and music. Then I pondered my own sense of home and dreams which have taken me from familarity and comfort at times. Still there is something inside that compels me to go… 

I love the photo of the ship on the sea above. I sort of see myself in it–alone on the ocean in an adventure–soaking in all the experience and joy of life. Still it is a place I would never want to be alone after the sun sets. I can’t imagine how awesomely scary it would be to be left in a sail boat or lost at sea at night. The vastness of the ocean, the dark inky waters, how insignificant and meaningless I would feel. How fearful. And yes at that moment, there would be “no place like home.”

Believe me I am no Pollyanna, but there is a place in the earth that is a “safehaven” and like home and Psalm 139 tells me where that is.

I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.

It is just so overwhelming that my home is with Him no matter where I am in the earth. And why shouldn’t it be? The same Psalms says:

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!And when I wake up,
you are still with me!

His thoughts toward me are  more than the grains of sand. That is incomprehensible! I’ll be chewing on that today, as well as a grilled lamb chop that we will have for dinner… the lamb will be chewed and gone, but the thoughts about my life intertwined with the Spirit of the Living God, well they are for eternity…