“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple” (Psalm 27:4).
I’ll admit, this incredible, bold request is not often on my heart and mind.
I’m not sure it’s there—except, perhaps as a convicting thought when I read through this psalm. “I only want one thing, God: to dwell in your house all the days of my life because that means I’d be near you, I’d be with you. That’s all I want. That’s the only thing I’m seeking in life.”
Can I really say that? God, I want so much! My attention is focused on so many different things!
I want little things like the weather to be just right this weekend, the parking spot that isn’t half a mile from the convenience store, and my favorite team to win the game. I want big things like my relationships with loved ones to continue growing, good news from the doctor, and the promotion I’ve worked so hard for. I want. I want. I focus all my attention on those wants and supposed needs—and how I can get them.
So many things, dear Christian, we all want so many things in life—that’s not inherently bad. That’s not automatically wrong for us. But when those wants take priority over the one thing needful, as Jesus put it to a Christian woman (namely, a right relationship with our heavenly Father, discovered through time spent in his Word), that’s when we get into trouble.
Our materialistic-driven, technology-obsessed, immediate-gratification-saturated culture certainly doesn’t help. Everything vies for priority, everything screams for attention right here and now. Phones buzz, and notifications ping. And somewhere in that long list of to-do’s, obligations, and prioritizations, time spent in God’s Word can get lost amid the chaos. I’ll get to that later.
We know full well that when our focus shifts from heavenly matters to earthly things, it can be difficult to put our attention back where it needs to be. God forgive us when we fall into that mindset! God forgive us when we lose sight of what’s truly important in life.
Thanks be to God, dear Christian, he does. God forgives us; he remembers our sins no more because of Jesus, who lived with a single-minded focus: fulfilling God’s law so he could be our perfect substitute—so he could save us from our sins and free us to live for him. That’s exactly what Jesus did because he loves us. He wants us to be in heaven with him.
That’s what we want too, as Christians. Sometimes, amid the chaos of life, we just need to be reminded of that. So let’s make our relationship with God our focus and number one priority. Let’s make it the one thing we want above all else.
How do we do that? It’s one thing to say it—it’s another thing to put it into practice.
First things first, we get in the Word—even a few verses, a few minutes, even if we do nothing else that day. We keep going to church, gathering with fellow Christians, encouraging each other, and holding each other accountable as brothers and sisters in Christ. We make reading and hearing God’s Word as regular and habitual as anything else. And we keep growing.
Is it easy? Of course not. The last thing the devil, the world, and our sinful nature want is for us to open the Bible. They’ll do everything they can to keep us from hearing the truths of God’s Word and making it a priority in life. But God is with us. He has set us free from the chains of sin and breathed new life into our hearts—hearts which now beat and live for him. God promises us that time spent in his Word will be worth it. It won’t be time wasted. Not at all.
So let’s pray boldly along with David, “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
That’s the only thing we want. That’s the only thing we need.
I recently heard a pastor say that he tells his congregation that if they have time to eat a banana in the morning, they have time to read a devotion from Meditations: Daily Devotional®. Filled with brief, daily, Scripture-filled devotions, Meditations is an excellent place to start if you’re looking for ways to get into God’s Word regularly.
Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.