That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
Psalm 27:4
An unlikely pair, Jimmy from the more affluent side of town and Johnny from the poorer neighborhood, yet they became best friends in first grade. Pals to the end, they liked to spend lots of time together during recess. Jimmy did go to Johnny’s house to play once. Rundown, in need of some maintenance and very tight on space, it was different from Jimmy’s well-kept, sprawling house. Jimmy’s house was a fun place with a loving mom and dad. Johnny only had his mom and she often seemed so overwhelmed by taking care of Johnny and his siblings that there was not a lot of joy.
On one of his visits to Jimmy’s house, Johnny told Jimmy’s
mom that he wanted to live with them.
She asked him if it was because of the nice house, the large yard, the
pool and the seemingly endless supply of toys. Johnny shook his head, saying, “no,
I just like to be with your family and enjoy watching you all be together.”
When you think about dwelling in the house of the Lord, do
you consider only your comfort, what can be gained from being in His house all
the days of your life? We get caught up in thinking only of what God can do for us, of the comfort that can be gained by living daily in His presence. Yet, all
He desires is for us to enjoy His presence, take in His beauty and seek His
face. Is your motivation for seeking the
Lord tied to your desire for comfort or are you willing to give up all that you
know to dwell with the Lord in order to enjoy His presence? My prayer is that it is the latter, that you may enjoy the beauty of the One who created you as you daily seek Him.
