Daily Dose of the Word of God - Psalm 27: 4-6

Justin Paul-Lawrence, Executive Director

Transcript

JPL  0:07

Welcome to Elmhurst CRC’s Daily Dose of the Word of God. It’s Friday, January 16th, 2026, but Sunday is coming.  I’m Justin Paul Lawrence  Each Friday we listen to the voice of the Psalms, which teach us to pray and point us to Jesus. Today’s passage is Psalm 27:4-6.

JPL 0:29  

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.

JPL 1:06  

Are there places in your life that calm you immediately? Where you walk in the door you breathe out a slow sigh of contentment?  Perhaps it's your grandmother's house, a cherished lake cabin, or even your favorite coffee shop where you’re greeted by name. There are definitely places that when we enter them our heartbeat slows, we feel welcomed, we feel at rest. Peaceful places. I actually have this with Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church many mornings when I walk in. It feels like a place of peace, a place of presence, a place where God has shown up and continues to show up. This is usually at 8:00am on a weekday - show up at 9:58 AM on Sunday and the activity and noise increase considerably!   Now imagine the process of going to Yahweh’s house for someone in the ancient Near East. They're walking 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 miles across scrubby, hilly, arid terrain  Finally they see Jerusalem in the distance, the place where God dwells.  They make their way through the outer quarters of the city further into the Tabernacle to the outer courts to the house of God. This is what it meant to be in the presence of God world of the Hebrews. 

JPL  2:22  

Now with all the sacrificing it might not have been a peaceful place. There was buying and selling and cooing and clucking but God’s dwelling was there even in the midst of all of the bustle. And that's what the psalmist seeks today: to be in the presence of God where they can gaze on the beauty of God's holiness. The set-apartness of this one special place. And not only to be there but to be favored by God  to be kept safe in his dwelling to be hid in the shelter of his sacred tent  and even more than that to be set up high upon a rock. And at its best, this place of shelter and comfort makes you respond  In God's sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music for the Lord. In this secure and sheltered place, I can truly breath out in contentment and offer true praise to God. So the next time you feel that deep peace of contentment of in a place, don't just rest in it:  Sacrifice with shouts of joy. Whether it's time, talents or treasure, make a choice to offer something back to God.  Even more than that: sing and make music to God. Bless God with all of your heart and all of your soul in his holy place.

JPL 3:34  

Let's pray. Lord God, as we continue in this new year, hide us in the shadow of your wings. Keep us safe in your dwelling. Set us high upon your rock and turn our contentment to sacrifice, our deep security to praise. Help us devote our whole lives to the glory of your name. Amen.