Dwelling in beauty

Good morning. This is a devotional for single adults from Parenting Solo, but the message also applies to single adults without children who may one day marry a single parent and be a step-parent. Feel Free to forward it to a friend.

Scripture: Psalm 27:4 (NIV) 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.

The other day I was talking with one of my pastors at church about a prayer ministry I am … praying about. We were talking about the different possibilities of praying for people and what it meant. We talked about the simplicity of prayer, what it means to people. It offers care, comfort and compassion, all in one fell swoop. Then he quoted this scripture by heart, and I immediately felt peace.

No matter what we’re going through, no matter how hard times are, in the end, it’s just a blip in the history of the universe. What really matters is that we be in the presence of the Lord, in whatever we do. In the long run, our time with him in heaven will surpass anything we will experience here on earth. Our time with the Lord strengthens us and allows us to face the world, no matter what it throws at us. God is offering us a relationship that lasts forever.

God offers us comfort and strength for today and hope for our future. He gives us confidence that everything will work out OK. Fear and loneliness are our worst enemies in times of trouble. Yet, we need to know that God is always with us in those times. David’s greatest desire was to be in the temple of the Lord. We don’t know if David was referring to the real temple in Gideon, or his heart. Perhaps when David wrote this, he was sitting in a dark cave hiding from his enemy, trying to bravely face his fears.

Unfortunately for far too many, it is not the desire of people to live in God’s presence each day. We fill our days with trivial things to complete our time slots. Maybe we think we need to make X amount of dollars to be happy. Maybe we stay busy so we don’t have to face the silence of our hearts. Maybe we avoid God for fear of the changes he might bring into our lives. When we take the time to “gaze upon the beauty of the Lord,” we are able to see the beauty of everything around us. It makes us want to slow down and enjoy the simple things of life. That’s the way God meant it; not the hustle and bustle we face around us today. That was enough for David. Is it enough for you?

How does this apply to my life?

Today’s prayer: Lord, help me to truly desire to spend time in your presence today. Help me to remove the clutter from my life and just enjoy being in your beauty. Amen

Doug Mead
Parenting Solo

Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Vol. 4, No. 74

This week’s reading plan can be found at http:/www.oneyearbibleonline.com/july.asp?version=51