Slumber Party

Psalm 27: 4

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall 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 meditate in His temple.

It is no wonder that David desired to spend every day at God’s place. It is the place of perfect peace, perfect healing, of joy and rest. Of course, there is also the privilege of beholding the beauty of our Lord and savior and the magnificent splendor of our Father.

We know David’s son, Solomon asked for wisdom, and received it, by the way. David’s wish was to hang out with God. They are both terrific requests. Solomon knew he needed the wisdom of God if he was to rule God’s people. Do you see, though, what made David’s relationship with Yahweh so unique and special? His grand desire was to abide with the Father. It’s no wonder Yahweh said of David that he was a man after His own heart. He really was. David pursued God relentlessly.

That is only part of the story, however. Once David entered God’s place, he came to know fullness. I imagine he felt complete in God’s presence and that fullness and sense of being complete was something he could take with him to the battlefield, to the throne and into the rest of his life. Outside the Father’s presence, I think we all feel a bit incomplete. Once David experienced God’s house, there was never anything that could eclipse the feeling he received there. Pure joy lit his features as he gazed upon the glory of the Father and songs erupted from his heart.

Perhaps I sense an answer here to another interesting note about David and his writing. David was the one Old Testament writer who sounds like a New Testament believer. He wrote as if he knew Jesus. And now, I think I know why. He was hanging out at Jesus’ dad’s house. I think David met Jesus. He wrote about the Holy Spirit too so I guess that is what comes from hanging out with Dad. But then, that is exactly what Psalm 25 taught us. The private place is “where they sit near him and receive the revelation.” You may want to go back and reread Monday’s Word of the Day to let all of this sink in and meld together. There is a theme running through these psalms and they all lead us to the private place with Yahweh, His home, our abode. We, like David, can seek to spend time there with Father, Son and Spirit. There is no want or desire in our hearts (Psalm 23) when we are in the Father’s house. We are filled and have perfect peace in every area of our lives. Aspire to live with Dad. Seek, above all else, time in His home. It’s the image of comfort and He is the perfect host. But don’t just visit. Take your bedroll and move in. He has plenty of room for all and provision for a life time.