Let Me Stay!
One thing I ask from the Lord . . . that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. Psalm 27:4
READ Psalm 27:1–6
As they made their way toward their car,
Zander escaped his mother’s arms and made a mad dash back toward the
church doors. He didn’t want to leave! His mom ran after him and tried
to lovingly wrangle her son so they could depart. When his mother
finally scooped four-year-old Zander back into her embrace, he sobbed
and reached longingly over her shoulder toward the church as they walked
away. Zander may merely have enjoyed playing with friends at
church, but his enthusiasm is a picture of David’s desire to worship
God. Though he might have asked God to thwart his enemies for his own
comfort and security, David wanted peace to prevail so that he could
instead “gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple” (Psalm 27:4). His heart’s desire
was to be with God—wherever He was—and to enjoy His presence. Israel’s
greatest king and military hero intended to use peacetime to “sing and
make music to the Lord” (v. 6). We
can freely worship God anywhere, for He now dwells within us through
faith in the person of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians
3:17). May we yearn to spend our days in His presence and to gather
corporately to worship Him with other believers. In God we find our
safety and our greatest joy.
By Kirsten Holmberg |
When have you experienced a passionate yearning to worship God? What keeps you from experiencing that more frequently?
Father, You’re my delight and my joy. I long to worship You without distraction or interruption. Read “Pure Worship.” | | | | |
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Pursued by powerful enemies, David chose to focus on God rather than his difficult circumstances. David speaks of Him as his light as he navigates life’s challenges, guiding him safely into His presence and goodness (Psalm 27:1). God is also his salvation, delivering him from danger and death, and his stronghold,
providing a strong fortified place for his security and stability (vv.
1–6, 13; see 23:6; 43:3–4). With these provisions from God, David
confidently declares, “Whom shall I fear?” (27:1). Because being in
God’s presence gives him such confidence and security, David wants to be
found in His presence above all else—to “dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of [his] life” (v. 4). In another psalm, David writes of
God leading him to a place of protection and provision: “The Lord
is my shepherd . . . . I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (23:1, 6).
K. T. Sim
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