“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. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music.”
Psalm 27:4-6 NLT
What would we pilgrims most desire in our lives? Not an easy question to answer, because our desires would be focused on the issue or challenge that we are currently having to deal with. If we’re hungry, we would want to be fed. If we were homeless, it would be a home. If we’re unemployed, it would be a job. Or perhaps the car has just broken down for the nth time, and we would really like to replace it. But David had a different focus – he wanted “to live in the house of the Lord all the days of [his] life“. Where was David when he wrote this? The commentaries assume that he was still in his pre-king days, being chased around the wilderness by King Saul. In his weariness though, his utmost desire was to be in the Lord’s presence. There he fantasised he would find a place of safety, a place of communion with his precious Lord, the place where he wouldn’t have to continually look over his shoulder in case a spear was coming his way. More, he would find a place where he was untouchable by his enemies. And once there David imagined he would be free to offer the sacrifices required “with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music”. His imagination also ran forward to the time when there would be a Temple fit for God, and in which the Lord would live.
But back to our question. Would we pilgrims, faced with all the issues in our lives, primarily express the same desire that David did, to spend time in God’s house? Would we push aside the immediate, answering the emails and texts, painting the kitchen, doing the shopping, washing the car and so on, just so that we could spend time meditating on the things of God? John Wesley is credited with getting up at 4am every day to pray because he wouldn’t consider starting his day without prayer. A sobering thought for us sleepy heads who struggle to cast off the duvet and end up dashing out of the door, briefcase in one hand and a slice of toast in the other, hoping we wouldn’t be late for work.
We read in the Book of Acts about the early disciples, who ” … worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—” (Acts 2:46). We may not have that opportunity today, but the sentiment behind this verse provides a picture of the early believers sharing the same excitement about the Lord and His house that David did. Isaiah too, in a time of a national crisis (a potential time of political instability), decided to go to the Temple – Isaiah 6:1, “It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple“. Here’s the thing. If Isaiah hadn’t gone to the Lord’s house that day he would never have had a vision of the Lord, and would never have been ordained into the prophetic ministry that underpinned the rest of his life. After the vision Isaiah wrote, “Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me”” (Isaiah 6:8). As we imagine being there with Isaiah in the Temple, did we too feel that lift in our spirits, a personal “send me”, as the Lord asked us the same question?
We pilgrims may be one of the Isaiah’s of our generation, but we will never know until we spend time with God. It is only in His presence that we will find our purpose and calling. The problem for many believers today is that they are looking for an instant solution. I once knew somebody who had an inkling to be a worship leader. So they found a guitar and learned a few chords and a couple of songs and then went to the pastor with the request that they be allowed to lead worship on the next Sunday. No prayer. No submission to the Lord. No Isaiah-in-the-Temple moment, that would have endorsed their ministry. And a huffy response when their request was refused. David, first and foremost, spent time in the Lord’s presence, learning how to play music and worship Him during those long hours looking after the sheep. With the necessary skills he was one day going to be engaged to play in King Saul’s presence . We read in 1 Samuel 16:18, “One of the servants said to Saul, “One of Jesse’s sons from Bethlehem is a talented harp player. Not only that—he is a brave warrior, a man of war, and has good judgment. He is also a fine-looking young man, and the Lord is with him””.
But we pilgrims are people who love the Lord, and of course we spend time in His presence every day. We too join with God’s people whenever we can, spending time with them and with the Lord. We worship and pray together, and the Lord blesses us with words of prophecy, with answers to our prayers, and with the resources we need to face the day. And we pray for others too so that they may discover what we have found. I heard recently of a young man who met an old friend with whom he had lost touch, a friend who was previously a self-declared atheist, but who subsequently in his own journey had discovered the Lord. This friend invited the young man to church, the friendship renewed and another soul was saved for the Kingdom. Things happen when we go to church.
Where is our “Temple”? Where do we meet with God, in a place where He can speak to us and commission us? And where we will receive a vision of the Lord, “high and lifted up”. There is no better place than with our brothers and sisters in Christ, so at the next opportunity let’s expect something to happen. Perhaps God will show up in a vision. Perhaps we will receive a prophetic word from someone. All we have to do is go to church with an expectant heart. We won’t be disappointed.
Dear loving Heavenly Father, please help us to have expectant and willing hearts, looking out for Your presence today, and every day. We repent of the way of life we adopt which has no room for You. Please help us, we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 