King David’s life was a series of triumphs and tragedies. God anoints him king of Israel as a boy, he whips Goliath and King Saul tries to destroy David. David flees for his life. Saul dies and David becomes king. Good things and bad things happen, some of which is David’s own making. Then a son of his rapes his only daughter and that son is killed by another son in retaliation. That son tries to usurp the throne from David and David flees once again. That son is killed and David returns to the throne. It’s no wonder he felt surrounded by enemies, he was.
In the midst of this life of turmoil David never lost sight of his God. Acts 13:22 states that God raised up David to be king and said, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart which shall fulfil all my will.” A man ‘after my own heart’, God’s heart. Think about that. God saw in David something that we can only read about and try to understand.
Psalm 27 was written by David and the very first words are “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” The rest of the first verse is timely, too. As the Psalm progresses David speaks of his enemies and how trapped he must have felt during difficult times.
Then, David makes a declaration. Verse 4, “One thing have I desired 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 behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” All the days of my life; he’s speaking of the here and now, in the middle of all the mess and challenges of his life.
He says “that will I seek after.” Even David realizes that he can be so easily distracted from the light and salvation of the Lord. Focus is important. It’s easy to be distracted. There’s the news, politics, the pandemic, weather, nuclear holocaust, artificial intelligence, health care, religious freedom, and the list goes on. It takes faith to keep your focus on God. Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). Part of a verse that stresses the importance of listening, listening to other believers and their testimonies, listening for what God has to say. Not just his Word but by the power of God in our lives and others’.
The conclusion of verse 4 is to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. Look for God’s beauty. Nature has an abundance of it, but think of what beauty has been created in relationships, the beauty of Scripture, the inner beauty of the saints around us, and the beauty of goodness. Inquire in his temple—modern translation, go to church. Beauty is there. God is there.
“One thing have I desired” says David. And he’s willing to do what it takes to “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”
In the midst of this life of turmoil David never lost sight of his God. Acts 13:22 states that God raised up David to be king and said, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart which shall fulfil all my will.” A man ‘after my own heart’, God’s heart. Think about that. God saw in David something that we can only read about and try to understand.
Psalm 27 was written by David and the very first words are “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” The rest of the first verse is timely, too. As the Psalm progresses David speaks of his enemies and how trapped he must have felt during difficult times.
Then, David makes a declaration. Verse 4, “One thing have I desired 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 behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” All the days of my life; he’s speaking of the here and now, in the middle of all the mess and challenges of his life.
He says “that will I seek after.” Even David realizes that he can be so easily distracted from the light and salvation of the Lord. Focus is important. It’s easy to be distracted. There’s the news, politics, the pandemic, weather, nuclear holocaust, artificial intelligence, health care, religious freedom, and the list goes on. It takes faith to keep your focus on God. Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). Part of a verse that stresses the importance of listening, listening to other believers and their testimonies, listening for what God has to say. Not just his Word but by the power of God in our lives and others’.
The conclusion of verse 4 is to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. Look for God’s beauty. Nature has an abundance of it, but think of what beauty has been created in relationships, the beauty of Scripture, the inner beauty of the saints around us, and the beauty of goodness. Inquire in his temple—modern translation, go to church. Beauty is there. God is there.
“One thing have I desired” says David. And he’s willing to do what it takes to “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”
