Have you booked your next holiday yet? Have you thought about where you would like to go in the year ahead? I know it might be a little early to start thinking about your next holiday, but my friend who is a travel agent tells me it is very common for his clients to book their next holiday soon after they return. He believes it provides them with something to look forward to and instils hope for the year ahead. Where would you like to go this year? Where is it that you would find refuge in the storms? What place brings you hope and where would you find renewal?
In Psalm 27, King David tells us the destination he desires most:
4Â 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.
It is an incredible statement because it is made by a man who is under attack. You see, if you read the Psalm, you quickly realise that King David is in trouble. He describes how his enemies are ready to attack, how people have been lying about him, and how he has been rejected by his own family.
Psalm 27 speaks of deep pain, hurt and lament. It is astonishing that the “one thing” that he asks God for is not safety, vindication, victory, power, control or retribution. Rather, it is to be in God’s house taking in the grandeur and glory of the beauty of the Lord. His confidence resides there, so that is where he wants to be.
Jesus is not a king who wants to rob you of joy or take life away. Rather, he desires to give it back to you. Jesus’ death and resurrection bring life and hope when nothing else can, not even the most lavish of holidays. What Jesus has done gives us an unshakable confidence to put one foot in front of the other and walk into the unknown. He gives us a rest that we cannot find anywhere else. He takes away the crippling burden of navigating life solely through our own strength. This year, run to him and find confidence and hope in him.