DEVOTIONS

Psalm 27: How to Go Deeper with God

1. The One Thing That Really Matters

Psalm 27:4 I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple.

You made a list today. Maybe you wrote it down, maybe it’s just rattling around in your head, but you made a list.

Pick up milk.
Call the dentist.
Finish that project.
Check your bank balance.
Worry about your teenager.
Scroll through your phone.

Somewhere on that list, where exactly is God?

Here’s what’s crushing: most of us live like God is an add-on to an already full life. He’s the spiritual garnish on the plate of our real priorities. We want health, wealth, success, comfort, and maybe a little Jesus on the side if there’s time.

But David doesn’t see it that way. Out of all the things he could ask for, he asks for one thing. Not victory over his enemies. Not a bigger palace. Not a guarantee of safety. He wants God. Period.

What would happen if your deepest desire wasn’t for your circumstances to change but for God Himself? What if you wanted Him more than:

That promotion you’ve been chasing
That relationship you’re desperate for
That healing you’ve been begging for
That financial breakthrough you need

The truth is devastating and liberating at the same time. You were made for God. Not for success. Not for comfort. Not for human approval. For God. Your soul is crying out for the very thing you keep trying to satisfy with everything else.

When God becomes your one thing, everything else finds its proper place. The job matters less. The bank account matters less. Even the very real struggles matter less. Because you have Him. And He is enough.

Prayer: God Almighty, thank You for making me. I tend to seek things that really don’t matter. Refocus my life on You today. I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.

Day 2: When Busy Becomes An Excuse

Psalm 27:6 Then my head will be high above my enemies around me; I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Your calendar is a liar. It tells you there’s no time for worship. No space for reflection. No margin for simply being still before God. You’ve got meetings to attend, kids to shuttle, bills to pay, and a hundred other “important” things demanding your attention.

But here’s David, running a nation with actual armies trying to kill him, and he’s talking about taking time to sing and make music to the Lord. Makes your busy schedule look a little less impressive, doesn’t it?

You know what worship really is? It’s rebellion against the tyranny of the urgent. It’s declaring that your to-do list doesn’t own you. It’s insisting that your soul matters more than your schedule.

When did you last stop long enough to actually think about what God has done? Not a quick “thanks for this food” prayer. Not a rushed Bible verse while you’re brushing your teeth. When did you last let yourself be overwhelmed by His goodness?

The enemy of worship isn’t usually outright rebellion. It’s distraction. It’s the slow drift that happens when we’re too busy to stop and remember:

The breath in your lungs is a gift

The morning sun is His mercy made visible

Your very existence is sustained by His power

That cross proves His relentless love

Worship isn’t another item for your checklist. It’s the reset button for your soul. It’s how you remember what’s real when everything else is just noise.

You’re not too busy to worship. You’re too busy not to.

Prayer: Awesome Father, help me to just stop and worship You today. Let me respond to how wonderful You are. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Day 3: When Even Your Parents Let You Down

Psalm 27:10 Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me.

I bet someone at some point in your life failed you. It could have been recent, it could have been years ago, but someone who was supposed to be there for you wasn’t. The wound still throbs when you’re honest about it. Maybe you’ve moved on from the pain, but it’s shaped how you see everything, including God.

David knew about disappointment. He’d been overlooked, hunted, betrayed. And here he makes a statement so radical it takes your breath away. Even if the most fundamental relationships in life fail, God’s care remains.

You’ve probably projected human failure onto God more than you realize. That person who walked away? You secretly wonder if God might do the same. That parent who was never pleased? You assume God’s keeping score too. That friend who betrayed your trust? You hold God at arm’s length, just in case.

But God’s care isn’t like human care. It doesn’t depend on your performance. It doesn’t fluctuate with His mood. It doesn’t expire when you mess up. It doesn’t get tired or distracted or too busy.

Think about this:

Humans care until it costs too much. God went to a cross.

Humans care until you disappoint them. God knew your worst before He called you.

Humans care conditionally. God’s care is anchored in His character, not yours.

The cross is God’s ultimate proof that His care is different. While you were still running from Him, He was running to you. While you were shaking your fist at heaven, He was opening His arms on a cross.

Stop measuring God’s love by human standards. He’s not like them. He never will be.

Prayer: Faithful Father, thank You for caring about me so much. Help me, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to not let the hurt from others affect how I see You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Day 4: The God Who Shows Up

Psalm 27:13-14 I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord.

If you are like me, you’re tired of waiting. Tired of praying the same prayers. Tired of believing for breakthrough that never seems to come. You’ve done everything right, but the situation hasn’t changed. Where is God in all of this?

David’s confidence here is almost offensive to our pain. He’s certain he’ll see God’s goodness. Not in heaven someday. Right here, right now, in the land of the living. How can he be so sure when his circumstances scream otherwise?

Because David learned something most of us miss. God’s timing isn’t our enemy. It’s His canvas for displaying glory we couldn’t see any other way.

What if your waiting isn’t wasted? What if God is doing something in the delay that couldn’t happen in the instant answer? What if He’s:

Building a faith that can weather any storm

Preparing you for blessings you couldn’t handle yet

Orchestrating details you can’t see

Writing a story bigger than your single chapter

The command to wait isn’t passive. Be strong. Let your heart be courageous. This is active, engaged, expectant waiting. This is leaning into God when everything in you wants to give up.

Your circumstances may be screaming that God has forgotten you. But the cross shouts louder. A God who would die for you isn’t playing games with your pain. He’s working all things for good, even when all things feel broken.

His goodness is coming. Not because circumstances guarantee it, but because He does. Hold on.

Prayer: Ever-present Father, I’m impatient, and I’m struggling to wait on You. But I know that You are good and wise. Give me the strength to wait on You. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Day 5: Jesus, Our Perfect Dwelling

David wanted to live in God’s house forever. Not visit on weekends. Not drop by when convenient. Live there. Wake up there. Go to sleep there. Never leave. His soul ached for permanent residence in God’s presence, for unbroken communion with the Holy One.

But here’s what David couldn’t fully grasp: God had bigger plans than letting us into His house. He planned to make His house in us. Through Jesus, God didn’t just open the door to His dwelling place. He became our dwelling place.

Think about the staggering progression. In the Old Testament, God’s presence filled a tent, then a temple. People traveled miles just to get near the building where God’s glory resided. But in Jesus, God compressed His infinite presence into human flesh. The eternal Word squeezed into a baby’s cry. The Ancient of Days learned to walk. Heaven’s throne room heartbeat pulsed in a carpenter’s chest.

Now comes the part that should leave you breathless. Jesus told His disciples He would send His Spirit to live inside them. Inside us. The presence David longed to visit has become the presence that never leaves. You are the temple now. God doesn’t live in buildings anymore. He lives in you.

This means:

Your morning coffee happens in God’s presence
Your commute unfolds in His dwelling place
Your struggles occur within His embrace
Your failures happen inside His grace

You don’t have to schedule appointments with God. You don’t have to travel to find Him. In Christ, through His Spirit, you carry the holy of holies in your chest. David’s one desire has become your permanent reality.

Prayer: God, I want to be near You. It’s amazing to think that the Holy Spirit is in me, that I am in Your presence all the time. Thank You for sending Jesus to bring me back to You and thank You for sending the Spirit to live in me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Day 6: The Courage To Keep Seeking

Psalm 27:7-8 Lord, hear my voice when I call; be gracious to me and answer me. My heart says this about you: “Seek his face.” Lord, I will seek your face.

Sometimes it feels like you’ve been praying the same prayer for so long you’ve memorized the ceiling. Nothing changes. Heaven feels like brass. You wonder if God’s even listening anymore, or if you’re just talking to yourself in the dark. I’ve been there too.

But look at David here. He’s begging God to hear him, to be gracious, to answer. This is the same David who just expressed rock-solid confidence in God’s protection. Even spiritual giants sometimes feel like their prayers bounce off the atmosphere.

Here’s what’s beautiful: David doesn’t let divine silence stop him from seeking. His heart keeps whispering its instructions: “Seek his face.” Not seek His answers. Not seek His explanations. Not seek His interventions. Seek His face. Seek Him.

You know what kills most people’s prayer lives? They’re seeking the wrong thing. They want God’s hands to fix their problems, not His face to be their satisfaction. They want His power to change their circumstances, not His presence to change their hearts.

What if your unanswered prayers are God’s invitation to want Him more than what He can give you? What if He’s teaching you that:

His presence is better than His presents

Knowing Him is better than using Him

His face is better than His favors

He Himself is the answer you’re really seeking

The command pulsing in David’s heart needs to pulse in yours: Seek His face. Keep seeking when He feels distant. Keep pursuing when prayers seem pointless. Keep pressing in when pressing on feels impossible.

Because going deeper with God isn’t about getting better answers. It’s about discovering that He Himself is the answer you’ve been looking for all along.

Prayer: Father God, when I struggle to hear You, or when I feel like You are silent, help me to continue seeking You. You are better than anything; I truly believe that. So, help me chase after You no matter what. Let this be, I ask in Jesus’ name, amen.

Day 7: Love That Won’t Let Go

Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You’re terrified that you’ll mess this up. That you’ll start strong in going deeper with God and then drift away. Again. That your inconsistency will finally exhaust His patience. That one day you’ll reach for Him and find He’s given up on you.

God demolishes that fear with a list so comprehensive it leaves no room for doubt. Nothing can separate you from His love. Not your failures. Not your inconsistency. Not your wandering heart. Not your broken promises to do better.

Think about what can’t separate you:

Death can’t (your worst day won’t end His love)
Life can’t (your daily failures won’t exhaust Him)
Present things can’t (your current struggles don’t disqualify you)
Future things can’t (tomorrow’s sins won’t surprise Him)
Height can’t (your mountaintop pride won’t push Him away)
Depth can’t (your valley lows won’t lose His attention)

You know why? Because this love isn’t based on your grip on God. It’s based on His grip on you. And that grip was demonstrated at a cross where Love Himself refused to let go even while we were letting go of Him.

Going deeper with God isn’t about your faithfulness to Him. It’s about trusting His faithfulness to you. It’s about resting in a love that’s already yours, not earning a love that might be withdrawn.

Stop white-knuckling your spiritual life. You’re held by hands that were pierced to prove they’ll never let you go.

Prayer: God, My father, I know You won’t let me go. Thank you for that blessing! Thank You for a love that is stronger than my sin. Let me seek a deeper relationship with You because You love me, not to make You love me. I ask this in the name of Jesus, amen.

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