One Thing

One thing have I asked 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 gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.
Psalm 27:4 (ESV)

Anyone who has or has had small children knows what a trip to the grocery store or any shopping spree can be like. With so many items on the shelves the little ones are constantly badgering the parents with, “I want this one, and I want this one.” And “this one” is the one they want until they get to the next isle. That’s when the “I wants” start all over again.

My wife and I worked diligently to teach their children the difference between wanting something and actually needing something. Only to have our kids, on the next trip to the store, say, “I need this one, I need that one.”

King David said that there was only one thing that he asked of the Lord; to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life. The Hebrew word used for asked in this verse means to inquire, to request, to demand or to beg. Imagine David saying to the Lord, “I really want it; I really, really want it. Can I have it please, please can I?” The Hebrew word used for seek means to search out by any method especially by worship and prayer. It also means to strive after, to beg, to make inquisition, or to procure. In other words David was going to do whatever it took that would allow him to dwell in God’s house all the days of his life. David’s one desire was to be with God.

David wanted to be with God for two specific purposes; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in its temple.

When you explore the meaning of beauty in the Hebrew you find it means agreeableness, i.e. delight, suitableness, splendor or grace: beauty or pleasantness. Agreeable means pleasant, pleasing, to one’s liking. Suitable means appropriate to a given purpose or occasion. Splendor means great light or luster; brilliance. So the beauty of the Lord is much deeper than outward appearance or something pleasant to the eye. It also means that God is pleasant to me, he is to my liking. He is suitable or appropriate for every occasion. He fills every longing of my heart and he’s the only one who can. He is the delight of my heart and soul and his grace is sufficient for all things.

David wanted to inquire of the Lord; which means to plough, to break forth, to inspect, to care for, to admire, to seek and search. He wanted to make diligent search for God and the things of God.

If our asking and seeking are pursued with the same attitude as David’s we can rest in knowing that we will find God. He wants to be found by us. Jesus promised, And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (Luke 11:9-11 ESV)

What is your one desire; the thing you seek the most? Do you want more than anything to be with God?

Scriptures for meditation:
Psalm 42:1-2; 63:1
Jeremiah 29:13

Copyright © 2015 Steve Pruitt/JustWorship.com