Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Psalms 3 (2)
Pray Psalm 27.4-6.
One thing I have desired of the LORD,
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.
For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.
Sing Psalm 27.4-6.
(St. Denio: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise)
One thing we request but to dwell with You, LORD.
Your beauty to test and to think on Your Word.
In trouble You hide us secure in Your grace;
no foe may o’erride us: We sing of Your praise.
Read Psalm 27.1-14; meditate on verses 8-14.
Preparation
1. What did David want from the Lord?
2. What would he have to do to achieve that?
Meditation
John Owen, the great Puritan theologian, wrote that everyone has some vision of Jesus etched into their mind. This is not a bad thing. Indeed, given all the many descriptions of Jesus in the Scriptures—especially Revelation 1.10-16—it would be difficult not to think of Jesus when we are praying. Paul instructs us to set our mind on Jesus (Col. 3.1-3) and leads us to believe that, by concentrating on the face of Jesus, we can know the glory of God (2 Cor. 4.6). It is that glory which, emanating from His Word, God uses to transform us into the very likeness of Jesus (2 Cor. 3.12-18).
So we are much encouraged by David’s “one thing”, because we, too, long to see the face of Jesus and the beauty of the Lord in which He dwells (vv. 4, 8, 9). But whereas David had no sense whatsoever of the face of God, and yet longed to see it, we have all the Biblical descriptions of Jesus and His heavenly throne room which we can assemble into a glorious collage as an object of long meditation, over and over.
And what can we expect if we are patient, waiting on the Lord to show us Jesus in His Word and as we pray? We can expect the goodness of the Lord to take shape in our soul and come to expression in all our words and deeds (v. 13). Then we can take courage in the Lord (v. 14) and draw on His strength as He sends us courageously (v. 1), like Jesus was sent (Jn. 20.21), living and speaking and rejoicing in His salvation.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
If we have only one desire: to dwell with the Lord Jesus, here and now and there and then; and
If we have only one thing to seek: to behold the beauty of the LORD, we are the most fortunate of people.
For He desires to give us both things.
He has given us His Word to readily display Jesus and His beauty—we need only “take up and read” (from the Confessions of St. Augustine). And He promises that “he who seeks, finds” (Matt. 7.7, 8). “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God” (Col. 3.1). These quests are not done in vain; but are taken up with full assurance of accomplishment.
When we take the time, make the effort, and come to His Word with great expectations, we will “see the King in His beauty” (Is. 33.17).
Jesus, Himself, encourages us to do this very thing. We know this to be true because we read of Him teaching two bickering sisters about the importance of quiet time spent with Him. (This vignette is not about hospitality—as we know from the Scriptures’ teachings of its vital importance—it is about seeking time with God).
“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.’ And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her’” (Lk. 10.38-42).
David desired and sought one thing.
Jesus praised Mary’s choice of the one needed thing.
And for us, we might lose heart when troubles abound,
if we did not believe that we would
“see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (Ps. 27.13).
As Jonah prayed from inside the fish’s belly:
“When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD;
and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple.
Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own Mercy” (Jon. 2.7, 8).
Let us never forsake our own Mercy, Jesus Christ.
But let us only desire and seek one thing—to be in His Presence—here and now, for there and then.
This One Thing is of the utmost import. Seek and See Jesus.
Reflection
1. Why do you suppose some Christians find spending time with Jesus so hard to achieve? How can we encourage them?
2. When we come to Jesus, to see Him in His Word, what sorts of things should we expect from Him?
3. How does seeing Jesus in His Word equip you to serve Him each day?
The psalmist requests the favor of the Lord; the continuance of his presence with him; the benefit of Divine guidance, and the benefit of Divine protection. God’s time to help those that trust in him, is, when all other helpers fail. He is a surer and better Friend than earthly parents are, or can be. What was the belief which supported the psalmist? That he should see the goodness of the Lord. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Psalm 27.7-14
Pray Psalm 27.7-14.
How do you seek the Lord in your heart (Col. 3.1-3)? Earnestly wait on the Lord until you see His face in glory, at least to some extent (2 Cor. 4.6). Seek His way for this day and that His goodness would abound through you into your Personal Mission Field.
Sing Psalm 27.7-14.
(St. Denio: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise)
Hear, LORD, when we cry and be gracious, we pray!
LORD, do not deny us Your favor this day!
Our help, our salvation, though others may fall,
preserve our good station when on You we call.
LORD, teach us; LORD, lead us because of our foes!
Hear, LORD, when we plead for release from their woes.
Had we not believed all Your goodness to see,
our heart sorely grieved and in turmoil would be.
Wait, wait on the LORD; persevere in His grace.
Hold fast to His Word; seek His radiant face.
Be strong, set your heart to abide in His Word;
His grace He imparts; therefore, wait on the LORD.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
For more teaching about the subject of this series, “Jesus throughout the Scriptures”, download our free ReVision study, “We Would See Jesus”, by clicking here.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
