Psalm 27:4,13-14 (Amplified Bible)
4 One thing I have asked of the LORD, and that I will seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD [in His presence] all the days of my life, To gaze upon the beauty [the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur] of the LORD And to meditate in His temple. 13 Yet I am confident I will see the LORD’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. 14 Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.
Psalm 27
—Donna Anello
Our wise pastor, Dr. Crawford Loritts, has encouraged us to dwell in The Word and make much of this time we are living an altered lifestyle. He has exhorted us to not waste this time with meaningless pursuits or complacency but to receive this gift of special time to draw near to God and desire to be in His presence moment by moment.
Psalm 27 is David’s cry out to the Lord declaring God’s greatness and trust in God’s protection over him. Like David, we too can focus our affection on our Lord and Savior, Almighty God, and cry out to Him declaring His greatness. How great is our God, sing with me, how great is our God, and all will see how great, how great is our God. (Chris Tomlin)
First, we must invest time in The Word reading about how God shows His greatness, and invest time recalling how God has shown His greatness to us in the many and varied circumstances spanning our lives. Reflection and meditation over times when God has been our Banner of Victory, Jehovah Nissi, is time well spent. Merriam-Webster defines greatness as the quality or state of being great as in size, skill, achievement, or power; notably large in size; elaborate; remarkable in magnitude, degree, or effectiveness; preeminent over others; markedly superior in character or quality. Our great God is all those things and so much more that cannot be contained in the scriptures. Verse 13 tells us we can be sure His great desire is to show us His goodness and greatness. Nehemiah’s prayer before the rebuilt wall in Jerusalem declares His greatness, May your glorious name be praised! May it be exalted above all blessing and praise! You are the Lord, You Alone. [And Ezra said], “You are the Lord, You alone; You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host (the heavenly bodies)... Nehemiah 9:5-6 (AMP)
As we press into the word and remember times when we have glimpsed God’s greatness, we discover again and again how indescribably extraordinary our God is. As we share these memories and discuss these times, we are reminded that we sometimes minimize His greatness. But hindsight does indeed give us 20/20 vision as we remember and read about the circumstances leading up to the act of God that displayed His largess, His preeminence, His superiority. This revelation of something we actually cannot understand in our human minds drops us to our knees in humble reverence and worship of the One who gave His life, shed His blood, and sent His Spirit to us. Verse 14 tells us to wait patiently, for love is patient, and to be brave and courageous. Life happens while we wait and we are to be in service to Him while we wait, fulfilling our purpose and His plan for us and the Kingdom. Our reward is His protection over us and that we get to dwell in His presence.
So today, as your life happens while you wait patiently yet confidently, dwell in His house and in His presence. Worship Him for who He is and reverence His greatness. Nothing in our mundane and mortal lives can ever separate us from His love.
Heavenly Father, it is in Jesus’ name that I seek your face today. I humble myself under your mighty hand and ask for a renewed revelation of your greatness. Holy Spirit, remind me that greater is He who lives in me than he who lives in the world. Draw me back to the cross on Calvary where a man, who is God, gave His life willingly for each one of us to be redeemed from the curse of the law into the blessing of Abraham. With awe and gratitude let me rejoice in Your greatness that you set to work on my behalf. Glory to God forevermore!
