Psalm 27:4-5
ESV
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. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.
The Message
I’m asking God for one thing, only one thing: to live with him in his house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet. That’s the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, the perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic.
The Voice
I am pleading with the Eternal for this one thing, my soul’s desire: to live with Him all of my days— in the shadow of His temple, to behold His beauty and ponder His ways in the company of His people. His house is my shelter and secret retreat. It is there I find peace in the midst of storm and turmoil. Safety sits with me in the hiding place of God. He will set me on a rock, high above the fray.
Several years ago my husband and I decided to take a vacation (without the kids). Being the planner that he is, he began asking me prior to our trip what I wanted to do. He wanted to know what tours I wanted to take, if I wanted to shop or sightsee or jet ski. I think my response kind of shocked him. I told him I wanted to do one thing and one thing only – relax! I told him I wanted to do the things that helped me gain refreshment and rest. I wanted to sleep as late as I wanted, eat whatever I wanted, lounge in the sun if I wanted, and read as much as I wanted. And there was one thing I wanted to do in order to truly de-stress— – I wanted to enjoy a day at the spa where we were staying.! That’s right, a full day of nothing but pampering! So, I did! The results: rest, relaxation, rejuvenation, and a restoration. Oh how I loved doing my One Thing!
Psalm 27:4 speaks of “One Thing,” and I think I know why the psalmist was so intent on “One Thing.” Just as life is complicated now and can pull us in all different directions, I’m sure it was complicated then, and David, the writer of this Psalm, wanted to focus on his one desire.
Let’s take this verse apart over the next few weeks and glean a bit of truth from it that will help us all find refuge, refreshment, and renewal.
One Thing …
Why “one thing?” First off, I think we need to remember that we can’t be “A.D.D.” with God. It’s not spiritually healthy for us to run about, wearing ourselves out, constantly doing so many things that we forget to just abide in Him. (John 15) We need a focal point, a goal, a rallying point. Much like a woman in childbirth needs to train her mind to concentrate on a focal point in order to withstand the pain she’s having to endure, so we need a focal point in order to withstand the “fray and buzz of traffic” mentioned in the verses above. Our mind needs some training! (Romans 12:2)
We need a different perspective. Why? Because the things that tend to draw our eyes draw us away from our “one thing” and weigh us down. Those things are giving us aching backs, tired shoulders, headaches, and crow’s feet! We need to exchange our tired and weary hearts and minds for joy, peace, and strength. We need to exchange “those things” for “The One Thing”— – The Lord.
So this week, I have a challenge for us. Let’s focus on One Thing—tuning our hearts to God in prayer.
Every morning when your feet hit the floor, stop and pray a simple prayer to begin your day. If you can spend a longer time in prayer, by all means, do so. But the first thing, the One Thing, I want you to do is begin your day looking to the One who has the power to help us press through your daily tasks.
I even have a tool for you to use to do that, our Ready September Prayer Guide. It’s short and simple, but will be quite effective.
Next week we’ll dig deeper into this verse and look at the next phrase, but for this week remember to rest in your One thing—Jesus.
Here’s our Ready September Prayer Guide for you to download and print!
Blessings,
Jacqueline
©2018 Women of Warren, Warren Baptist Church