One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
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 seek him in his temple. Psalms27:4
Part of David's faith is his focus.
So far into the Psalm David has indicated his steadfast trust in God who is His light, stronghold and salvation. Furthermore David has declared that _when_ (not _if_) trouble comes, he will not be unsettled or afraid...
How is he capable of such faith and courage??
Part of the answer lies in his FOCUS.
David does not focus on safety and security as the destination of his life. His end goal is not the comfort and complacency of earthly materialism. David is not concerned so much with where he will live and what his retirement will look like.
David simply wants to be in the presence of God - Doing what God wants and experiencing the closeness of God.
The word that the NIV translates as "temple" is better translated as "dwelling place" and we would do well to remember that the temple had not yet been built in David's time. David is not worshipping a church building... when he speaks of God's dwelling, he is thinking of the tent of the tabernacle that the Israelites erected wherever they camped on the way to the promised land.* David envisions God being with His people.
David's great faith emerges from a great focus.
While everyone else may true to live life cautiously avoiding trouble and saving up as much as possible for a secure retirement, David marches to the beat of a different drum:
He wants to know God, worship Him and live in His will.
This focus is the dynamo of great faith.
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* Although it is true that David also dreamed of building a temple, his psalms always depict God as free and with his people and never convey the idea of God being confined to the temple.
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
