“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?……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.For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.“
If someone asked you to name your greatest desire, what would you say?
The answer might depend on the season of life you’re in.
None of those are wrong things to ask for.
David had many needs as well.
He spent years fleeing from enemies. He faced betrayal, war, and uncertainty. Yet in the middle of all those troubles, he says something surprising:
“One thing have I asked of the Lord…that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”
David doesn’t ignore his problems. In fact, later in the psalm he prays for protection and deliverance. But before he asks God to change his circumstances, he asks to be near God.
That says something about where David believed real security was found.
It’s easy to think that if one particular problem in our lives were solved, everything would finally be okay. “If I could just get through this…” becomes a familiar thought. Then one challenge passes, and another takes its place.
David reminds us that our deepest need isn’t simply a better situation.
Our deepest need is God Himself.
For Israel, the house of the Lord was the tabernacle, later the temple, where God had promised to dwell among His people and where His gifts of forgiveness were proclaimed.
Today, we don’t make a pilgrimage to a temple in Jerusalem. God has made us His temple. He dwells with us. God also comes to us through His Word and Sacraments. There He continues to forgive sins, strengthen faith, and remind us that we belong to Him.
For most of us, that means for us to experience the presence of God, it means slowing down for moment to remember God is already with us. It means taking some time to pray, read the Bible, talk with a Christian friend, or go to worship on Sunday morning.
You can do all those things, except possibly the Sunday morning one, right now. In fact, in this devotion, you are praying and reading the Bible. Awesome!
Ultimately, Psalm 27 points us to Jesus.
He is Immanuel,
“God with us.”
Through Him, we have access to the Father. Because of His death and resurrection, nothing can separate us from God’s love.
That’s why Christians gather for worship week after week.
We come because this is where God has promised to meet us with His gifts. Like David, we come seeking the One thing that matters most.
God’s presence.
Let’s pray…
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for drawing me into Your presence through Jesus Christ. When I become distracted by the worries of this life, turn my heart back to You. Help me to slow down and turn to you. Strengthen my faith through Your Word and Your gifts, and help me to seek You above all else.
Amen.
As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:
After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
