The One Thing

“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.”  Psalm 27:4

Pretend you’re standing on a beach holding a brass lamp found buried in the sand.  Its shape hints at its secret, and a hopeful rub will produce a genie and a granted wish.  What would you ask for?  What would you want?

While the scenario is silly, the question is serious.  What is your greatest desire?  What is the one thing you would request if you knew for certain you would receive?  Though life is rarely so straightforward, our response reveals much about our passions and priorities.   Our answer indicates what’s in our hearts and on our minds.

David offers his reply without hesitation in Psalm 27.  “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”(vs 4).  In short, David desired God.  No one else and nothing less would do.  Though delightfully aware of the blessings those who seek God will find—soul safety, protection, and security (vs 5-6)—David’s focus was not God’s hands but His face.  He wanted to live with God, look at God, and spend time with God.  “My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek” (vs 8).

In the eyes of many, David already had it all.  He had climbed the ladder of success from shepherd to sovereign.  He was popular and powerful.  His home was fancy; his bank accounts full. Women adored him, and men admired him.  David had fame, fortune, and a family, but they weren’t enough.  Only God would do.

David wanted to be up-close and personal with this God who was his light, salvation, and stronghold (vs 1).   He wanted to move in to God’s presence and never move out.  He wished to be where God was.  In David’s day, God’s residence on earth was a gold-plated wooden box—the ark of the covenant.  David had moved the ark to Jerusalem and placed it in a special tent so he could be near God’s presence, but he longed for so much more.  He yearned for the day when the barriers would be obliterated and he could see his beautiful God face to face.

David’s desire should inspire us, for his dim glimpse of God hardly compares to our bright panorama.  Bethlehem’s star lights the path to His glorious cross where we’re stunned by the mixture of justice and mercy.  The empty tomb shatters the dark dread of death, and we see in living color the promise of eternity.  God’s presence is our present—the gift of His Spirit until we get home.  “God who said, ‘Let shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Cor 4:6).  In the face and grace of Christ we see the beauty of God, and we should never look away.

Don’t want more from God; want more of God.

You always get your wish when God is your desire.