David was anticipating the throne of Israel, and
fleeing jealous Saul. And when he cried out to God, what was the ONE THING he
asked for? It was not physical protection, or leadership ability, or popularity
within Israel, or even personal holiness.
“ONE THING I have asked of the Lord, and this is
what I will seek:that I may dwell in God’s house all my days, to behold His delightful beauty,
and to worship in His presence.” (Ps 27:4)
and to worship in His presence.” (Ps 27:4)
David’s “one thing” was being close to God, no
matter what. And how do we draw near to God, behold His presence, worship Him
face to face? Through His written self-portrait, His self-revelation: the
Bible. And through the Word-Become-Flesh, God-with-Us: Jesus.
In the Bible, God reveals His Being, His
thoughts and desires, His intentions toward us, His character. And He reveals
Himself most vividly in the person of Jesus Christ, whom we also get to know in
God’s Word.
I’ve been told the Bible is “God’s Instruction
Manual.” I’ve hunted for a “verse” just to make me feel better or give me
specific direction in the moment. It can be tempting to read the Bible for the
morality lessons, or to find “good examples” to follow. Or to read the Bible
through the filter of our own soap box issues, to find proof texts for our
theology of preference.
But when God speaks, it is not to give us a
to-do list, or a band-aid for our hurts, or a human hero to emulate, or Three
Steps to Successful Living. Instead, God gives us Himself.
The Pharisees missed this. They were so focused
on the commands of Scripture that they missed the Messiah! Jesus confronted
them: “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you
possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you
refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5:37-40)
Our “one thing,” what matters most in life, is
essentially the same as David wrote 1000 years ago:
to dwell with God through
faith in Christ
to delight in who He is no matter our circumstances
to
worship Him in all that we do, say and think.
