“One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall 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 meditate in His temple.”
—Psalm 27:4

This verse is one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible. David makes it clear that there is one thing each of us should seek above everything else. Then he tells us what that one thing is—to dwell in God’s presence and experience His beauty all the days of our lives.

David, the king of Israel who would become known as Israel’s greatest leader, wanted above all else to continually experience God’s presence. He was saying in essence, “I can live without everything else. I just want this one thing from You—that I might dwell in Your house and in Your presence all the days of my life.” With all David experienced, all the victories he had won and all the accolades showered on him, more than anything else, he craved God’s presence in his life.

And for David, God’s presence was manifest in beauty. Who is God? He is beauty. Look at creation—the beautiful skies, flowers, rainbows, fish, animals, waterfalls, rivers, and trees. Paul said in Romans 1:20 that we can learn who God is by looking at His creation: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made.” The birds, oceans, mountains, sunsets, and butterflies are all imparting to us a sense of how beautiful our God is.

God’s presence satisfies. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst” (John 6:35). Let’s keep seeking HaShem. Let’s keep cultivating a passion for Yahweh and His beauty.

Father, may my desire for You exceed all other passions in my life. Your Word says You are a rewarder of those who diligently seek You (Heb. 11:6) and that those who seek You find You when they search for You with all their hearts (Jer. 29:13). Father, I choose to diligently pursue Your beauty and Your presence. “They who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing” (Ps. 34:10).

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Rivers of Divine Truth (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2021), Used by permission.