ONE THING
Psalm 27:4 (ANIV)
“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.”
David, who wrote this psalm, did so in the middle of many troubles. What is so clear from all the psalms, is that his many troubles made him to keep focus on the Lord. This is always our need. We must keep Jesus in focus day by day, whether the day be difficult or easy. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith and wants us to walk in the knowledge of His Presence more and more. Truly, He wants us to know His help and blessing in every situation. We may be well educated and talented, but there is nothing like the wisdom and understanding of the Lord.
Some people think that we are called to work for God. That suggests we are left to our limited devices and ideas, with limited results. No, we must work in God, by the power of the Holy Spirit. That way God can take the lead whenever He wants, leading us in the right path. Jesus still wants to build His church today as ever before as He stated in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
But how does this really happen? The simple answer is fellowship with the Lord in prayer. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit to be in fellowship with the Lord. In the quiet secret place we meet with the Lord and as we mature we find we can wonderfully “gaze on the beauty of the Lord” with the eyes of faith and enjoy being in His Presence. Here is a deep knowing of the Saviour and the encounter of His love in the most intimate way. Here we meet with the Father with great acceptance, care and love in the Holy Place. This is a place you always want to be and changes our concept of prayer. When the Lord is everything to us He can come and be everything through us too. This is where we are empowered as He imparts His will within us.
It remains a place of intercession and supplication. “To seek Him in His temple” implies this. We draw near to God to know His heart in each matter. We speak heart to heart honestly and openly. It is not religiosity but relationship. The Lord can put His Word and will into our hearts as we wait upon Him. It is the answer to the teaching of Jesus, “Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. It is giving the Lord time and opportunity to speak and share with us. It may be from there we have a platform to intercede also.
So we recognise this was David’s priority above everything else. Here was the “one thing” he wanted from the Lord. His great success was based on this desire I believe. It kept him abiding in the Lord, taking him through every trial and difficulty, and made him such an outstanding king in service for the Lord and in exercising justice for the people. Through the Lord he had learnt how to overcome, delighting and depending on the Lord.
Do you have “One Thing” you desire of the Lord like this?
