I just returned from a trip to Italy. Florence, Rome, Pisa, Sorrento, Pompeii. All these locations were breathtaking. It is a surreal moment when you can stand on a high point and overlook an entire ancient city. And to think some people live there and see what we vacationers dream of seeing every day. In some of these picturesque locations, I found myself saying, “I just want to stay here and look at this all day.”
I wonder what David’s surroundings were like when he wrote the line in Psalm 27:4
The one thing I ask of the Lord-
the one 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.
Perhaps he was resting peacefully in a meadow next to a babbling brook. Maybe he was standing on a high point overlooking some panoramic lookout on the side of the road. Most likely he was alone in a cave, tired and scared, running for his life, hiding from his enemies.
The entire section of Psalm 26-29 reflects God’s faithfulness and protection; his mercy and justice; the peace that comes from just being in the presence of God.
David understood that acknowledging God’s presence in his life brought him so much comfort and peace that he could say, with certainty, that if he had only one thing to ask, it wouldn’t be to have his enemies snuffed out. It wasn’t to have all his troubles taken away. It was to be forever present with the Lord. I want that kind of adherence to God. To want nothing else other than to be present with God wherever I am and whatever I am doing.
Take some time today to reflect on how God is always with you. Don’t miss those moments each day to pause and remind yourself you are loved and in the arms of your Father who hears you and loves you and will never leave you.