One Thing I Ask
SCRIPTURE
Psalm 27:4, “One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple”
OBSERVATION
What’s the one thing that I have continually asked from God? What is the one thing I seek most from him? David continually asked that he can live in the house of the LORD for the rest of his life. One can get cynical pretty quickly from reading the context of this chapter. You can mask it as being a “critical thinker” and reason that David always asked to live in God’s house because it was a safe place for him to hide from always running away from his enemies. David’s predicament of being in trouble (v. 5) is prevalent with ideas of fear (vv. 1, 3), being surrounded by evildoers/adversaries/foes (vv. 2, 3, 6, 12) and being forsaken (v.10). Yet the purpose to which David seeks to live in God’s presence I believe trumps his need of simply seeking shelter—David wants to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD. He just doesn’t want a get-out-of-jail card to escape from his enemies. He asks and seeks God’s presence most so that he can delight and treasure the perfection and beauty of God. He has this insatiable holy angst to behold the beauty of God and meditate in His presence. David is not just seeking a temporary fix but he wants a lifetime of God—“that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life."
APPLICATION
Where is my spiritual hunger and appetite for the presence of God? Is the lifelong presence of God the thing that I seek the most? David didn’t just turn to God as his personal fire extinguisher to “break in case of emergency” in the days of trouble. He had a soul craving to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD. Point of obedience: Have a shift in focus of not just asking things from God (i.e. protection, blessings, health) but asking for God himself. Behold the beauty and majesty of Jesus. Bask in the glory of the cross and the power of the gospel. Meditate and stand in awe of who God is.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father,
“The one thing I ask—the thing I seek the most—is to live in your house for the rest of my life, delighting in your perfections and meditating in your temple”.