DWELLING IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at His sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of You, “Seek His face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not hide Your face from me, do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Teach me Your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations.

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:4-14

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What do you ask from the Lord?

One of the most appealing characteristics of our relationship with God is that it is a personal relationship. The Maker and Creator of all things, full of unmatched power and might, loves and cherishes us individually. That’s why we see Him as our Father, the ultimate single Parent who cares about every aspect of our lives. He wants us to know Him as intimately as He knows us.

And so with this, we can freely approach our Heavenly Father at any time and talk with Him. This is the definition of prayer, a divine conversation with the only One who can do all things for us because there is nothing impossible with God. No one can do for us what He can and no one is with us whenever we find ourselves in need as He is as He is always walking with us as we journey through life.

So again, what do you ask from the Lord?

If you’re struggling with illness or injury, you’re probably asking God for healing and recovery and, if the affliction or damage is grievous enough, you may be asking about your life, whether it is God’s will for you to survive or enter into His care eternally.

Maybe you are going through financial hardship, unsure of how you’re going to make ends meet. You may be out of work or working and not making what you need to pay the bills. Your debts are piling up and if you have a home, maybe you’re concerned about whether you’ll be able to keep it. Your life if full of uncertainty and you need some assurance that things are going to work out. And so you turn to God and ask for guidance.

Maybe the stresses of life are weighing hard on your relationship, tearing at the very threads that hold it together. The worries of finances or parenting or work strains or any combination of these are taking a toll on the commitment you made to one another. Your hearts seem to break a little more each day and you yearn to rekindle the love you had when you first met. And so you ask God for help, for restoration and reconciliation, for a return of love and peace into your union.

Indeed, these are just some of the things we find ourselves facing in life that draw us toward God and the help He can bring.

As we look at the remainder of the 27th Psalm, David offers us a fresh perspective on life and what we should ask from the Lord. Surely David knew all about experiencing difficulty. By his own words, he was surrounded by enemies and oppressors who desired to ruin David, both by word and malicious accusations as well as action. We know there were many who would have loved to see David dead like Saul and David’s own son, Absalom.

Yes, David had a lot to ask for, much he could have petitioned God for. But as we read, David only had one request that really mattered to him. And in that request, we can gain a new insight into how we should view life and how God fits in.

Look at these amazing words of Israel’s king:

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Wow! David could have given the Lord a list of things he didn’t. For there was only one desire that really mattered to David. He only sought to “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of (his) life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.” And we should long for the same solitary thing.

For what is more important that making the Lord our home, living in Him with every waking moment of every day for all the days He blesses us with. It’s only then that we can truly and fully gaze on His glory and gain a complete appreciation for all He is to us, for all He has done, all He is doing and all He is yet to do.

Friends, we were created to worship and adore our Father God, to give Him our complete admiration, to dwell and make ourselves at home in Him, to give Him all our honor, glory, and praise. For when we do, we will discover the following things that David did:

1. We’ll discover safety.

David said in verse 2 of this Psalm that the Lord was his stronghold. He knew God was His Almighty Refuge from his enemies. He knew that on days of trouble, he would find safety within the dwelling of the Lord, the place he wished to call his home. Yes, David knew God would shelter him and exalt him above his enemies and we need to see that too for God offers the same to anyone who dwells within Him.

2. We’ll find help.

David, a later psalm, would proclaim that God was his ever present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). Indeed, no one was a present with David and able to aid him in times of need like God. When you are always abiding with someone, they are right there for you. David longed to dwell with God, to live side-by-side with Him, knowing that he need not fear anything or anyone because God was ever present with him.

God longs to abide with us the same way and He will be ever present with us if we seek to always dwell in His house for all the days of our lives.

3. We find ourselves living in joy and praise.

Dwelling in the house of the Lord was going to bring David an unrivaled happiness, a happiness he would not have living elsewhere. David professed that he would sacrifice with shouts of joy while singing and making music to the Lord. Sounds like worship to me. And while David was sacrificing to atone for sins, celebrating the mercy, grace, and forgiveness of God, God, in turn, asks us to sacrifice our lives just as He sacrificed Jesus to bring us the gift of salvation. We are to leave where we currently live and move into the dwelling of the Lord, to take up residence in Him to live in the midst of His glory. We are to leave the world and its desires behind to make the Lord’s desires our primary focus.

For when we do that, we, like David, can live in joy and praise, our hearts full of the glory and pleasure only found in the Lord.     

4. We find guidance.

You can’t live with God and not be led in righteousness. David knew that and so He looked for direction, requesting God to teach him and lead him on a straight path, a path not paved by sin. And as we read the scriptures, God answered David’s call when David was dwelling in the house of the Lord. David only found himself in trouble when he decided to move out of God’s house and seek his own desires. Bad things happen in life when we try and take control. I know I can speak from experience.

The Lord is ready to lead and guide us as well. Our ever present help in times of trouble is also our ever present counsel to deal with life’s circumstances. And the only way we can be sure we’re living in a way pleasing to the Lord is when we constantly seek His direction.

5. We begin to see the goodness of God around us.

When we dwell in the house of the Lord, we see the world in a new perspective. Immersed in His glory, we become tuned in to the way He has formed and continues to conform and transform the world around us. In other words, we see the goodness of the Lord working here in the land of the living.

Jesus taught us to pray to God saying, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6: 10) We see the fruits of that prayer come to life when we are able to see the goodness of the Lord working in the land of the living and we can only discern that when we are dwelling in the house of the Lord.

6. We find patience.

There’s an old song titled, “He’s Right on Time” that has a great lyric:

You can't hurry my God, no no no no

You just have to wait

Trust Him and give Him time

No matter how long it takes

He's a God you just can't hurry

He'll be there, don't you worry

He may not come when you want him but He's right on time.

David ends his psalm with the following words:

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

When we’re dwelling in the house of the Lord, we will fully be able to see God working in, through and around us. He knows our needs and He knows the perfect time to meet them. It might not be when we want, but He is always right on time because God’s timing is always perfect. But as we wait, we gain the strength to persevere for as long as God wants us to and take heart knowing He is always working for our good.

In the end translation, ask yourself, “Is there any better place to dwell than in the house of the Lord for all the days of your life?”

As David discovered, it’s the only thing we should ask for, the only thing we should seek.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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