ONE THING

By Reverend Dr. Brett Snowden

Pastor, Progressive Community Baptist Church

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; 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 enquire in his temple. Psalm 27:4

If you could ask God for just one thing, what would it be? What is the one thing that is missing from your life and would make your life complete? What is the one thing that would allow for you to enjoy peace and joy? In a publication entitled What Do You Want from Life, the conclusion drawn is that we all want to be happy. Today, we are hearing a gospel being promoted that teaches knowing Jesus produces “ultra happiness.”

David had a different idea about asking God for one thing in this passage of Scripture. His one thing had to do with the depth of intimacy in his relationship to God. David had a deep passion to know God as intimately as he could. The Book of Psalms is filled with evidence of this as he constantly called out and cried out to God. He wanted an intimate relationship with God more than anything else in life. That was his one thing.

Many of us know God, but do we truly know God? What do you really know about God and that which you know, is it fact or fiction? What is the source of your knowledge about God? The Bible is the true source to provide us with the understanding of God.

David was a man beset with the affairs of life. He had enjoyed some measure of success in his life, yet that success was not without its problems. Not only did David have personal problems, he also had people problems. On more than one occasion there were people who were set against him, seeking to take his life. David knew what it was to struggle with the serious issues of life. But David also knew what it was important in life to seek. In this passage of Scripture, we see revealed for us life’s most important priority. We see here that one thing above all others after which we are to seek.

David was seeking communion with God. Above all else, David desired to be in the presence of God. He knew that he could find strength in His presence. He knew that “In His presence there is fullness of joy.” He knew that in God’s presence, he would find the strength and spiritual stamina he needed to face the trying situations in his life.

This is an important lesson for us. We must also realize that it is only in God’s presence where we find the strength to face the affairs of life. The aim of our heart ought to be to desire to seek God’s presence in our lives. We must desire intimate, daily communion with Him because it is only in that life of communion that we will have our needs met. At the end of Isaiah 40, it says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” That is the key for the Christian — a life of abiding in unbroken fellowship with Jesus Christ our Lord, our Savior, and our Friend. There is nothing sweeter than communion with Jesus Christ.

We must be committed in our effort to seek the Lord. What we desire from God, we must seek earnestly. David said, “One thing I ask of the LORD.” David had a goal and he sought it earnestly. He knew what he wanted. He had a single eye. He had ordered his priorities and knew what was important. He had an earnest commitment to follow through until his desire was attained. But we must not only seek it earnestly, we must seek it determinately. He said, “This is what I seek.” He exhibited the kind of determination that indicated he was not going to give up until he obtained the object of his search.

Like David, we must seek the Lord earnestly. We must seek Him with determination. There must be a commitment to seek His presence. If we do seek Him earnestly, and with determination, then we will seek Him successfully. When we become serious about seeking the Lord, we are promised that we will find Him. But we must be serious. The one thing after which we must seek is the one thing that will give us strength to rise above difficult circumstances, the pressures and the stress, and become the man or woman God desires us to be.