The one thing I ask of the Lord— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music. -Psalm 27:4-6 (NLT)
Yesterday we saw that even in the midst of extreme hardship, David considered was courageous and confident that God was his light and salvation. So how do we get to that same level of trust with God?
The next few verses of the Psalm seem to give us some clues:
Verse 4 tells us what David asked God for. I think it’s interesting he didn’t ask God to remove his problems. Instead, he asked God for “one thing:” to live in the house of the Lord all his life where he could delight in the Lord and meditate in his temple. The Message translation of this verse says, “…To live with him in his house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet.”
Think about that request. If we truly LIVED with God on a daily basis, spent time thinking about his beauty and goodness, and studying Him, we would probably have a much easier time trusting in His plans for our lives. When we truly get to know someone, it’s easier to trust them.
Even though make our earthly homes in our own residences, we can live with God on a daily basis. The key is spending time worshipping Him (contemplating His beauty) and getting to know him (studying at His feet). Notice how the the verse lists the act of contemplation / worship is listed before the act of studying. Worshipping God, not gaining knowledge about Him, should be our first priority. There is certainly value in learning about God and acquiring knowledge of Him, but God desires our worship more (John 4:23).
If we want to be able to trust God in hard times, we first need to spend time in his presence, worshiping and adoring Him. Let’s choose to enjoy the time we spend with Him. And while we’re there, we’ll study at His feet, too.
I’m deeply Indebted to Ransomed Heart podcast for the insight on this passage. Image courtesy of Pixabay.
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