Scripture
The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1 NIV
Question
| What description in this Psalm resonates most with you? |
Psalm 27
Seeking God’s Presence
This is what David yearns for when he prays, The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple (Psalm 27:4).
David desires to live in the Temple, but he also knows that no one was allowed to live there. So, why the Temple? The Temple stood for the presence of God. What David wanted was to enjoy 24/7 the presence of God in whatever he was doing. He knew that it’s not where you are but who you’re with that matters. Throughout this psalm David expresses his fears, but he knows they can’t touch you when you’re in God’s presence.
Isn’t that what we truly desire? But how? By practicing the presence of God. Practicing the presence of God is a way of being continually open and aware of God’s presence throughout all the activities of our days.
The discipline of practicing the presence of God is associated with the seventeenth-century French Carmelite monk Brother Lawrence (see his book, Practicing the Presence of God). He desired to maintain a constant conversation with God throughout the day, no matter where he was or what he was doing. His only concern was to live in the presence of God.
David desires to live in the Temple, but he also knows that no one was allowed to live there. So, why the Temple? The Temple stood for the presence of God. What David wanted was to enjoy 24/7 the presence of God in whatever he was doing. He knew that it’s not where you are but who you’re with that matters. Throughout this psalm David expresses his fears, but he knows they can’t touch you when you’re in God’s presence.
Isn’t that what we truly desire? But how? By practicing the presence of God. Practicing the presence of God is a way of being continually open and aware of God’s presence throughout all the activities of our days.
The discipline of practicing the presence of God is associated with the seventeenth-century French Carmelite monk Brother Lawrence (see his book, Practicing the Presence of God). He desired to maintain a constant conversation with God throughout the day, no matter where he was or what he was doing. His only concern was to live in the presence of God.
Learning to practice the presence of God takes time and intentionality. We do this by developing the habit of bringing God to mind throughout the day, no matter what we are doing. There are two essentials in practicing the presence of God:
ONE: Daily abandon ourselves to God. We start off each day offering ourselves to God and asking the Holy Spirit to “pinch” us throughout the day so we think about his presence.
TWO: Be in constant conversation with God. Brother Lawrence believed we invoked God’s presence by carrying on a continuous conversation with God on all matters, however great or small, and in all conditions.
Use David’s prayer in verse 4 as a way of reminding yourself of that one thing to which God invites us.
ONE: Daily abandon ourselves to God. We start off each day offering ourselves to God and asking the Holy Spirit to “pinch” us throughout the day so we think about his presence.
TWO: Be in constant conversation with God. Brother Lawrence believed we invoked God’s presence by carrying on a continuous conversation with God on all matters, however great or small, and in all conditions.
Use David’s prayer in verse 4 as a way of reminding yourself of that one thing to which God invites us.
Prayer