Psalm 27:4   One thing have I desired 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 behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.

What is the one thing you would do if you were given all the resources to do it? I asked one of my nephews that question and his answer was that he would travel through time and space.  Wouldn’t that be great to see yourself like Scrooge over your entire life cycle?  Or maybe not?  What about you?  What dream do you have that the world is waiting on you to fulfill so that the world can be a better place?

In today’s passage we meet David who tells us the one thing that he desired.  Now David the last son of Jesse spent a lot of time on his own whether it was tending sheep or on the run.   There is nothing like alone time to give you perspective of what is important and to help you prioritize.   David realized early in life that though there were many things competing for his attention his focus should be on one thing.  That one thing was his desire is to dwell in the house of the Lord to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. Because David made it his desire to spend time in God’s presence and to ask Him questions and to hear from Him, this revolutionized David’s life.   He became a worshipper and this opened many unexpected doors for him: psalmist, harpist, anointed as king, giant slayer, served in the palace, mighty warrior, king, ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ to name a few. 

 How does that translate for you and me?  God is calling for a shift of our priorities.  The new paradigm is one where we are not the centre of our universe but God is.  God wants us to desire Him above everything else.  God is calling us to be worshippers.  When we seek first the kingdom of God, then all that we need will be added to us..  God wants us to desire Him above everything else.  When we seek first the kingdom of God then    God wants people in His kingdom who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.  When we desire the Lord our one purpose will become clear.  He wants to open doors for us which will allow us to bring good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, strengthen the broken-hearted, set prisoners free, give joy to those who mourn, replace despair with praise, give beauty for ashes and proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.   

 So what is your one thing? To enquire of the Lord so that He can give you the vision and the mission He has created for you to fulfill in His kingdom.  So why not stop right now and enquire.  You may be surprised as He makes it quite plain what He wants of you.

PRAYER

Lord I desire one thing from you: to dwell in your presence, to drink in your beauty compared to the ugliness around and seek out your purpose for me. Please don’t remove me from your presence for without you I would have no hope.  I enter through the body and blood of your son Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world as I seek your face now.  Amen