“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.” (Psalms 27:4)
- DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD: The word dwell comes from the Hebrew word, yâshab: to remain in place. The question is how can we remain in place in the House of the Lord? David goes on in the next verse, “…in the time of trouble He shall HIDE ME in His pavilion; In the SECRET PLACE of His tabernacle, He shall hide me…” (Psalms 27:5) He describes it more clearly here, “He who dwells in the SECRET PLACE of the Most High Shall abide UNDER THE SHADOW of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my REFUGE and my FORTRESS; My God, in Him I WILL TRUST.” (Psalms 91:1-2) Jesus said this to His followers, “And in that day (your day of sorrow) you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and YOU WILL RECEIVE, that your joy may be full…These things I have spoken to you, that in Me YOU MAY HAVE PEACE. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.” (John 16:23-24-33)
- GAZE ON THE BEAUTY OF THE LORD: The beauty of the Lord can be defined as God POSSESSING EVERYTHING in His character THAT IS DESIRABLE. Everything that is good and righteous has its ultimate fulfillment in God. In another place the psalmist wrote, “Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the DESIRES OF YOUR HEART.” (Psalms 37:4) The desires of the human heart can only be found in the Lord and HIS BEAUTY. We read in another Psalm, “Whom have I in heaven BUT YOU? And there is none upon earth that I desire BESIDES YOU.” (Psalms 73:25)
- TO SEEK THE LORD IN HIS TEMPLE: In the New Testament, after Jesus ascended to heaven and the Holy Spirit came, a new understanding was given to the concept of a TEMPLE. God’s presence would no longer only dwell in a building, but in ALL BELIEVERS. The Apostle Paul wrote about this to the church in Corinth, “…do you not know that YOUR BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO IS IN YOU, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore, GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BODY and in YOUR SPIRIT, WHICH ARE GOD’S.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham