In the Presence of the LORD
Psalm 27: 4

By: Paula Davis, Contributing Writer
Have you ever been in love with someone and thought he or she was so attractive, so lovely or handsome, that all you can do when you were with your beloved is gaze into his or her eyes in amazement? And then there are the other times when you think he or she isn’t looking at you and you steal a glance at him quickly with inner joy and happiness, happiness that he is yours and you are his. In Psalm 27:4 David writes that one of the things he seeks is, “to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of [his] life, [and] to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD.” This verse struck me in its wonderful simplicity, “how often do I seek to just be in God’s presence, and gaze adoringly at His beauty?”
Although Psalm 27 is full of the potential calamities that surround David each day, David maintains his confidence (v.3) and does not fear. He sees “evildoers [who] assail [him] [seeking] to eat up [his] flesh” (v.2), His life is full of “adversaries and foes” (v.2); Yet despite all of these potential dangers seen and unseen, David is able to keep his composure under stressful and harmful situations by focusing on God. His gaze, is not on his enemies, nor the dangers on every side; David sets his sights only on his “light and [his] salvation” (v.1), the LORD.

How is your vision today? Are you filled with uncertainty, worrying about the dangers and enemies that may await you around every corner? Reposition your gaze. When you are with the love of your life, it doesn’t matter what’s happening all around you, just being in his or her presence makes you feel loved and secure. So it is with God. David writes, “For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock” (v.5). David understands that it is in the presence of the LORD where you will find safety and protection from whatever worries or fears that come your way. Take some time today to just behold “the beauty of the LORD” (v.4). Instead of focusing on the darkness, turn your gaze to the marvelous Light.