Presence Devotion #34

Jody Destry – Young Adults Pastor

Scripture

Psalm 27:4

“One thing I have 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.”

Insight

Have you ever been somewhere and thought to yourself “I could just stay here forever”? Last year we took a family trip to a beautiful island. The weather was perfect, the surroundings were stunning and all of my favourite people were there. I can vividly remember looking out as the sun was setting a deep brilliant orange over the water and saying those exact words because in that moment, everything felt just right, just as it should be. Perfect.

Sometimes scriptures like this one can be a little perplexing, how can I actually ‘dwell in the house of Lord all the days of my life’ when in reality I have daily responsibilities like employment, study, errands to run, family responsibilities and the list goes on! My hunch is that what King David is getting at is not so much about our physical dwelling but about the posture of our hearts. That our hearts would be turned towards God and our gaze fixed on Him, always. That we would not depart from the path He has set for us but cultivate a lifestyle of living and being in His presence daily. That we would always come to Him with ears to hear, seeking inquiring, pursuing, asking. This kind of life requires some serious resolve on our part, it requires us to intentionally choose the ‘chair’ over all other distractions, to intentionally turn down the noise of the world and turn up the voice of God and intentionally choose a God-first life.

How can we expect to hear from God and receive the direction and answers that we seek if we don’t first learn what it means to be dwellers and inquirers?

God’s desire for you and I is that when we dwell in His presence we are ‘home’. There we find rest for our souls and a deep sense of communion with the Father. That despite the challenges of life, everything is just as it should be. Everything is just right, because we were designed for that place, to dwell in His house, to walk with him in the cool of the day just as Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. That in His presence we would exhale and exclaim “I could stay here forever”.

Reflective Questions

If you were to do a heart check today would you find that your heart is postured towards God (Is he at the centre of your life or is someone or something else in that place right now?)
How does your prayer life need to change for you to become someone who truly ‘inquires’ of the Lord?