This Day in History: 0000-01-20

January 20 – Psalm 27:4-6 

The one thing I ask of the Lord – the thing I seek most – 
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, 
delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in His temple.  
For He will conceal me there when troubles come; 
He will hide me in His sanctuary.  He will place me out of reach on a high rock.  
Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me.  
At His sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music. 

Unlike the writer of this psalm, we have the great privilege of being able to come into the temple of the Lord anytime, no matter where we are.  The presence of our Lord is no longer contained within a physical building.  He no longer veils Himself in the Holy of Holies.  He has taken up residence, instead, in the heart of every believer.  We don’t need to reside in the house of the Lord because we ARE the house of the Lord!  Are we regarding this honor with appropriate awe?  Can we honestly say that the one thing we seek, above anything else, is to be in the Lord’s presence? Is that really enough for us?  Or are we always wanting more?  Are we taking the time to delight in His perfection?  Are we meditating on His Word?  Or are we approaching the throne only when we have something to ask of Him?   

My friends, let’s never take for granted how near our Lord is to us!  Let’s sit in reverent adoration before Him each and every day and simply worship Him for who He is.  Let’s offer our sacrifices with shouts of joy and sing praises to Him with music.  As we fill our days delighting in His presence and meditating on His perfections, He will protect us when troubles come.  He will hide us safely in His sanctuary.  I can say with certainty that when my gaze is fixed on Him my trials bring no fear.  In those times I have total confidence that He will see me through.  It is only in the seasons when I have not been spending time focused on Him that my troubles overwhelm me and I feel as if I’m sinking beneath the waves. Let’s come into His presence right now and worship our great God!