Today’s Lectio Divina: Excerpts from Psalm 27. (MsgB)

I’m asking God for one thing, only one thing:
To live with Him in His House my whole life long.
I’ll contemplate His beauty; I’ll study at His feet.

I come across a magic lamp that, for some reason or another, has been discarded by its former owner. I rub the magic lamp. A genie appears. This genie has the power to grant the lamp’s owner anything and everything my heart can imagine. But there is only one catch. The genie can give me only one wish. Only one dream can be answered. Only one.

But what will I wish for?

This entertaining story has been replayed in every generation, in nearly every culture of the world. Granted, here in America, the genie has now pretty much been replaced with the dream of winning the Powerball lottery, but suffice to say the dream of having one’s wishes fulfilled still remains.

Some believe many of the stories we find in the Bible to be childish fairy tales, equating them to the fable of the Genie and the Magic Lamp. Those same folks would look at Psalm 27 and believe King David to be equally childish for his crazy request to be found forever in the presence of his Creator God.

But, let’s think about this for a minute.

Here we have a real king of a historically-authenticated ancient kingdom, living in relative luxury of the times. King David has servants all around him who are there to meet his every imaginative whim. You’d think that someone in that situation would lack for nothing. What more could a man of this type of influence dream for? What genie could give him more than he already has?

Yet, for King David, there was apparently nothing in his world that could compare with his one lifetime wish, his one long-standing request, his one dream for his life here on planet earth.

Dwelling in the presence of his God from sunrise to sunset. 24-7. Round-the clock audience with the King of the Universe. Sitting at the feet of his High King, studying His Holy Word, contemplating His endless glory and majesty.

Hmm.

Now, if an earthly king, who literally can have anything he puts his heart toward, chooses to have permanent audience with his Creator, what does that say about both the king and the prize he is asking for?

Seems to me that King David must have found that nothing in this life, not even winning millions in the lottery, can compare with the wealth and riches found when dwelling in the House of the Lord. Apparently for this one dreamer, if chosen to be that lucky winner who gets to have only one wish fulfilled, he knows full well what door he is going to choose.

Better to be the doorkeeper at God’s House than to take my life into my own hands, living in luxury set up through some foreign genie.

So today, this amazing story continues. What one wish will I dream about? What one request will I make if given the opportunity?

The only interesting twist to this story is that it is not a fairy tale. The Scriptures indicate to us that this is a true story. The genie is not some lottery ticket, but the same God that King David spoke to 3,000 years ago. That High God has sent His Son Jesus to point the way to fulfilling this dream of dwelling in the Father’s House forever. No fairy tale, but gut-honest reality that I can choose today and every day for the rest of my life.

Now that’s a dream-come-true I find truly exciting!

My prayer: Lord, empower me to be singularly focused, as King David was, longing for one thing only. My one wish, Jesus, is to dwell in the House of the Lord for all the days of my life. Now and forevermore. For Your name’s sake. Amen.

My questions to ponder: If my one desire is to live with God in His House my whole life long, contemplating His beauty while studying at His feet, what needs to change in my day-to-day living for that one wish to become true? What lesser desires do I need to forsake in order for this one wish to become my singular passion?

So what is God speaking to you today as you ponder the Psalms?

Over a 50-week period, you and I will take a deeper look at The Psalms: God’s Songbook of Prayers. In order to keep all the blog sessions organized, we suggest you bookmark our Contemplating the Psalms home page for ease of use. Keep in mind that one of the best ways to explore the on-going applications of this blog series is to walk alongside a biblically-based, Christ-centered spiritual director who is familiar with how to make material like this part of your overall spiritual formation in God. Many of our directors in our Sustainable Faith-Heartland network are available to companion you in your journey with Jesus. Click here for more info.

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