Psalms 27:4 One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: 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 inquire in His temple.
David begins Psalm 27 with a cry of courage: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” Yet courage in God is not an end in itself. It leads somewhere deeper. Having declared that God is his light, salvation, and strength, David then reveals the desire at the very core of his heart: one thing.
This is the language of intimacy. Not many things. Not divided desires. Not a long list of requests. Just one thing: to dwell with the Lord, to gaze upon His beauty, and to inquire in His temple. David’s greatest pursuit is not victory over enemies, not prosperity, not even safety — but presence.
This longing captures the essence of Elul. As the shofar sounds, calling us to repentance and return, it is also summoning us back to first love. Elul is a season of priorities. Just as the people of Haggai’s day were stirred on the 1st of Elul to rebuild the Temple, so Elul calls us to rebuild the inner temple of devotion in our own lives. The true work of restoration begins with returning to His presence.
Notice David’s threefold pursuit: he longs to dwell with the Lord — not as a passing visitor, but in unbroken fellowship; he yearns to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord — not with a fleeting glance, but with eyes fixed in wonder and adoration; and he desires to inquire in His temple — not merely to ask questions, but to seek wisdom, direction, and the intimacy of God’s presence. This is the cry of a heart wholly given to its Beloved, the single-minded pursuit of the Bride for her Bridegroom.
Do not let this month of Elul pass with scattered priorities. Seek the one thing: to dwell with Him, to gaze on His beauty, to inquire in His temple. The shofar is sounding, the Bridegroom is calling — let your heart answer with passion and with love: “One thing I seek — to be with You.”