The ancient poet David wrote a prayer. It sought out his deepest well of inspiration and brightest source of insight and sums up all other prayers.
“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: 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 seek him in his temple.” Psalm 27:4 NIV.
David asked this “one thing,” his crucial goal above all others; the focus and purpose of all his being. Of all that we seek in life, this is primary, and many seek it without knowing it.
To “dwell” is to inhabit, reside, or stay in a place. He wanted to dwell with God, to live with God, making God his home. He wanted to stay and not drift away from God. One wonders what “house of the Lord” means since this psalm was written before Solomon built the temple. A house can be the people who are part of that house, and David wanted to be one of the people of God.
David wanted a permanent residence with God. He wanted God for “all the days of his life.” Not just during his prime or golden years but starting now and going on and on.
He was enthralled with God and said, “To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.” To gaze is to fix your eyes on something, to look intently. It is like he wanted to be filled up with looking at God. He found the Lord to be beautiful, not a God of “thou shall not do this or that,” but a beautiful God. This is not the discovery of a casual acquaintance with God.
He wanted to go deep with God, to “seek Him in his temple.” He was not satisfied with what he knew of God; he wanted more, he dedicated himself to searching for God. He was not just opening his Bible for a few minutes in the odd leftovers of his day, but he was searching with commitment and discipline.
This poetic verse expresses a deep desire to know God. Here, David speaks in faith about things in the future as if they were visible, and by faith, we can find God, too. May this verse be our prayer, and let us remember it when we question the very purpose of life.
“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: 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 seek him in his temple.” Psalm 27:4 NIV.
David asked this “one thing,” his crucial goal above all others; the focus and purpose of all his being. Of all that we seek in life, this is primary, and many seek it without knowing it.
To “dwell” is to inhabit, reside, or stay in a place. He wanted to dwell with God, to live with God, making God his home. He wanted to stay and not drift away from God. One wonders what “house of the Lord” means since this psalm was written before Solomon built the temple. A house can be the people who are part of that house, and David wanted to be one of the people of God.
David wanted a permanent residence with God. He wanted God for “all the days of his life.” Not just during his prime or golden years but starting now and going on and on.
He was enthralled with God and said, “To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.” To gaze is to fix your eyes on something, to look intently. It is like he wanted to be filled up with looking at God. He found the Lord to be beautiful, not a God of “thou shall not do this or that,” but a beautiful God. This is not the discovery of a casual acquaintance with God.
He wanted to go deep with God, to “seek Him in his temple.” He was not satisfied with what he knew of God; he wanted more, he dedicated himself to searching for God. He was not just opening his Bible for a few minutes in the odd leftovers of his day, but he was searching with commitment and discipline.
This poetic verse expresses a deep desire to know God. Here, David speaks in faith about things in the future as if they were visible, and by faith, we can find God, too. May this verse be our prayer, and let us remember it when we question the very purpose of life.
(c) Adron 6/30/10
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