Last week I was trying to relax so I was meditating on Psalm 27:4, one of my favorite verses. I have thought a lot about this verse over the years. This time around I was focusing on: dwelling in the house of the Lord and the temple.
One thing have I asked 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 gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. Psalm 27:4
I began to imagine what that temple might look like. In my mind’s eye I saw different types of church buildings and temples. Regardless of how beautiful many of them were, none of them felt right. I sensed the Lord saying, “You’re right, I don’t live in those.” Next I thought, OK… so many of those buildings I imagined were beautiful. They were, however, not places I would like to spend all my days in. Abba, what really is your temple? What kind of place would King David or me or anyone want to live in the rest of their lives?”
Then the following verse popped into my mind: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16 It nearly took my breath away in its simplicity and its profound meaning.
In quick succession another verse came to mind. “In him [Christ] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,” Ephesians 1:13
Wow, many of you may have connected these before. But for a week now I have contemplated the power of my body as the temple where God lives. I can behold the beauty of the Lord inside my skin, (I am fearfully and wonderfully made.) From the vantage point of my body I am also able to see all the beauty around me without a fixed address.
Being in the presence of the Lord and inquiring in His temple is less about place and far more about the Spirit in us to guide and comfort. We do not have to GO anywhere! At the same time we can go everywhere and still witness beauty and ask questions!
I know this is simple. I have known it at some level before, but this week for me it has gone deeper in my heart and mind and spirit. It gives me deeper rest and joy to understand how easy it is to: “…dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” Psalm 27:4
May we all grasp a fresh the simplicity and explore the consequences of being the temple of the Holy Spirit.
