Verse of the Day - Psalm 27:4

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. ~ Psalm 27:4 (NIV)

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I don't know that I fully understand David's request here. Is he saying he wants to live in the temple 24/7? Or is there a deeper spiritual dwelling that he's talking about?

I do know that there can be a sense of security in the "house of God". Many come to churches to pray, to rest, to seek after God -- I always thought it was neat that you could walk into a Catholic church day or night, and it would be open. If you wanted a sanctuary to seek God and take time away from the world, they were open...at least that's what I see on TV and in film.

We are bombarded daily with godless stuff. Alot of what's on TV, personal temptation, wars and rumors of wars, crime and hatred. Those who seek after God can feel like they just want to hide away in a church 24/7 and shut the world out! We want peace and security that God offers, but this world is so full of the opposite. Where can we go for peace and rest?

Yes, God is a God of peace and rest. But He is also spirit and doesn't live in a special house. You don't have to wait to enter the lofty doors of a cathedral for God's presence to be known. For those who choose Jesus and His gift of grace, we become friends of God, and He makes His dwelling inside of us! No special place of worship is required to seek His face, to hear His voice, to know the peace and rest that comes from being where He is. He is where we are, amen?

I think of the 1st century church, following Jesus and running for their lives from their persecutors. They couldn't go to the temple to worship. Did that mean they weren't communing with God because they met in homes or underground? How about the persecuted church today, in third-world countries? Praise God -- He is where they are! I think in most cultures, it is natural to want a place of worship, a place that is consecrated/set apart for the worship and glory of God. But it's not always possible to have one, or to be there. If it gets burned down, do they have to wait until another is built to see God's face? Of course not, because God is where His children are.

On the sands of Iraq, in the jungles of South America, on the Alaskan tundra, on the streets of New York....God is wherever His children are. Take time to talk with Him, to meditate on His word, to listen to Him -- but don't wait til you're in a house of worship. Seek after God wherever you are...make your heart His dwelling place 24/7.

Love,
Joelene