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August 9, 2024
- By Ed Powell
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"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." Psalm 27:4
One of the beautiful characteristics in the life of David was his intimate communion with God. Time and again his psalms ring out with the "cry of the seeker, and the glad song of the finder." He expresses his deep devotion and thanksgiving to God for the many times God has interceded for him, protected, delivered, and been his refuge and strength. What impresses me is his insatiable desire to be in the "presence of God" as he expresses his heart's desire "to dwell in the house of God all the days of my life." When constantly pursued by Saul and his army, he cries out..."As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God" (Psalm 42:1-2).
Engulfed with the atmosphere of the presence of God when privileged to be in the temple, hushed with awe and praise, bowed before God in submissive worship, and spreading before God the deep recesses of his heart, David constantly longed for those times when Almighty God was so evident that the penetrating sense of His nearness overwhelmed his soul.
David saw beyond the sacrifices offered there, for he beheld in them the perfections of the Promised One yet to come. In the death of those sacrificial lambs, he saw the justice of God poured out as punishment for man's sin. In the acceptance of these sacrificial offerings he saw the mercy and grace of God, pointing to that blessed day when God's appointed One would offer up His life for the atonement of sin for all mankind. He saw in this eternal forgiveness to all, who by faith trusted God as their Redeemer. He also sensed the holiness of God, who would not accept any other means of forgiveness except through His appointed way. In all these services he envisioned "Love and faithfulness meet together, righteousness and peace kiss each other" (Psalm 85:10).
David counted it such a blessing, encouragement, and an unspeakable privilege to be in this special place appointed by God, where he might worship Him in the sight of all Israel. This is where David met God in an unusual way "to behold the beauty of the Lord," and where "he inquired (to bare his heart before the Lord and to implore help) of the Lord."
As I thought of David's encounters with God and the transforming effect it had on his life, I wondered, what is our attitude, our spiritual posture, the manner in which we come into the place of His appointing to worship our Lord? What is the longing of our hearts, the depth of our desire, the hunger and thirst of our soul, to enter the "secret place of His tabernacle" WHERE GOD IS? We have a far greater reason to love the house of God than David. We have the revelation of His Word, the incarnation of His Son, His ministry and life, His atonement and resurrection, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the blessed hope of His coming again! To us, all the blessings of the New Covenant are laid open. We are at liberty to appropriate by faith all the promises He has provided us, and trust Him to make them a reality in our life! We are blessed beyond measure!
Oh, that the appropriate language of our heart may be as David's, "O God, you are my God: earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land, where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory" (Psalm 63:1-2). May this ONE THING be our desire and the longing of our heart. What a radical change it would make in our lives. "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, blessing, and honor, and glory, and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever" (Revelation 5:12-13).
© 2007 by Ed Powell. Used by permission.
This page was reprinted by permission from: http://litmin.org/dare.php?date=2024-08-09
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