In Psalm 27, David declares:
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
Psalm 27:1 (KJV)
Bold. Sure. Fearless. David has seen God come through for him and has learned to put his confidence in the Lord, as we see in the verses that follow:
“When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident.”
Psalm 27:2-3 (KJV)
The very next verse is one of my favorites in all of scripture but it seems out of place in the context of deliverance at first glance. Verse 4 reads:
“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 enquire in his temple.”
Psalm 27:4 (KJV)
To “dwell” implies intimacy, familiarity. This verse is a love song! The one thing David desires is not deliverance itself, but relationship.
Of course, David wants to be delivered too, but he understands that deliverance comes out of relationship. And relationship is what he desires most.
Back in verse 1, David says that God is the “strength” of his life. “Strength” in the Hebrew there means “a fortified place“ or “a place of safety.” David’s place of safety was the Lord Himself!
It was because David learned to put his trust in God that he could recognize the greater desire of his heart. And so it is with us.
We get distracted by the things that make us afraid, and that becomes our focus. Our desire begins to center around seeing the outcome we want and we find ourselves in angst.
But when we lean into the Lord, and remember all He has done for us, that He has been our deliverer, our shield, defense, our guide, comforter and provider - a faithful Father - then our faith rises up as we put our trust and confidence in Him.
Our problems become small in the light of Who He is. It is then that our hearts become free and we remember that, truly, the one thing we desire is simple. Relationship with God.
We remember that all of our circumstances in life are just that....circumstances. They will pass. Big and small, they will pass. Some tragic, some overwhelmingly joyful, but they will pass.
Seek God Himself, not for what He can do for you but for Who He wants to BE to you!
Only God can satisfy your soul.
Blessings,
Leah