One Thing

“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me
    to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
    it is they who stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me,
    my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
    yet I will be confident.

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.

And now my head shall be lifted up
    above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
    sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.” Psalm 27:1-6

David encountered many a foe during his years. His psalms record a lot of his communion with God through threats, battle, pursuit, and despair, and repeatedly they reflect his heart attitude and mindset: God was his first love and trust. His heartbeat was praise, His vision hope, no matter what he was facing. His one request that trumped all others, that was more important to him than physical safety, or a solution to his problem, or respite, was to dwell in the house of his Lord and seek Him and gaze on His beauty. His one thing, one primary desire and goal, was the Lord Himself. If he had Him, he had everything.

In the flesh, we feel urgencies for immediate solutions and relief, answers now. Pressure dictates our need for protocol, protection, ready provision. But when we seek and pine for a new job, an answer, a spouse, a promotion, or reassurance, we must know that each of these things is finite, temporary. We grasp it in our hands and it flies away, and changing circumstances bring new problems and attending needs.

To establish the Lord as our praise plants us in any situation on firm footing. It becomes our mindset with which to deal with anything that comes. Beginning the song of our day recounting His attributes, naming His names, does much to unite the heart in confidence around Him. Abiding with Him, gazing on His beauties in the varied areas of our lives, seeking Him in His word, all fortify our trust in His handiwork. (Psalm 86:11)

Seeking the Lord is an ongoing commitment. What distracts us from this one thing needful, our First Love? What other charms or busyness do we seek before Him? A need to stay connected through media, a drive to get ahead, attendance to our stuff? Have we made a higher priority of self-care, work, or recreation? What practical steps can we take to guard this one thing as primary and trust the Lord to enable and bless that effort? Desires that honor Him He takes joy in fulfilling. (Matthew 6:33; Luke 10:42; Revelation 2:4-5)

Lord, in the midst of pressures and turmoil may I seek, gaze on, and trust Thee, first and most.