Posted on December 20, 2022 by Elizabeth Welte in Victory Call
“Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident. 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.”
Psalm 27:3-4
Can we with the Psalmist say, “One thing I have desired of the LORD,”?
When I look at my prayers I think it would be more accurate to say, “one OF the things I have desired of the Lord” because so often my prayers boil down to a long grocery list of the many things I desire of the Lord. That approach to prayer can lead to a view of God as if He is there to do MY bidding. Are your prayers God-focused or you-focused?
Look carefully at the Psalmist’s words, “In this I will be confident.” What? Who? The Lord. The circumstances that could overtake him [an army encamped or war] faded in comparison to what held his confidence.
My question a moment ago, “Are your prayers God-focused or you-focused?” was not to imply that we should not ask for things that concern us. Not at all. But that should not be ALL we include in our prayers.
First, notice the Psalmist desires to be in the presence of God: “That I may dwell in the house of the LORD.” You don’t have to camp out in the back of church to be in the presence of God continually. In truth, you cannot NOT be in His presence. “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.” Psalm 139:7-8
We are continually in His presence and as His child His Spirit is continually dwelling within us. We often lose sight of that truth. It would do us all well to practice being aware of His presence moment by moment.
Second. He desires to “behold the beauty of the LORD.” In addition to being in His presence he desires to meditate on the Lord, to gaze upon Him and be enamored with Him over and over again. How much time do you spend looking into the face of your Savior every day? Rehearse who He is. Allow those thoughts to linger. Just the thought of that makes me smile.
Third. The psalmist desires to “inquire in His temple.” Pray. Ask.
After consciously bringing ourselves into the presence of God and meditating on Him, beholding Him, bring your concerns and requests before Him. The focus is on Him, not on circumstances and stuff. We reorient our perspective. This God-centered perspective gives us confidence in HIM as we face the future.
The Psalmist says, “My heart shall not fear.” What sayeth thee?
Written by Diane Hunt: Diane Hunt serves on the board of America’s Keswick and is the Executive Director & CEO of Changed Choices, a Christian non-profit in North Carolina. She is also a biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.
Think About This: “The more you pray, the less you’ll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry. You’ll feel more patient and less pressured.” – Rick Warren
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.” Psalm 69:13
America's Keswick Christian Retreat and Conference Center
4.8
Based on 383 reviews
America's Keswick Christian Retreat and Conference Center
4.8
Wanda Read
17:45 26 Sep 23
praise God for this place and all staff
Dinah Lopez
17:06 19 Sep 23
Beautiful property. Woodsy, nice lakes and a lot of land to explore. A great place for Christians to gather. They also have indoor auditoriums.
Andrea Rowe
01:30 18 Sep 23
Great banquet food.Great piano performance.
Melissa Williams
10:55 15 Sep 23
The warmest, most loving people working together on a mission of love for the Lord. This place is a treasure and I look forward to going every chance I get.
marilyn clinton
09:26 10 Sep 23
Food is not great.
Linda Hamadyk
04:54 10 Sep 23
The entertainment was excellent. The servers were great enjoyed my evening.
Raquel Perez
13:04 03 Sep 23
Amazing, relaxing, friendly and the most important part, the presence of God!!!
Doug Anderson
11:39 29 Aug 23
Had an amazing experience here for two nights!Stayed in the newly renovated rooms - very nice and clean.Amazing and helpful staff, maintenance, chaplains, etc.Everyone is very warm and friendly.Student summer staff were joyful and... respectful.They really take care of pastors and all of their guests.Such an atmosphere of hope, healing and restoration! Highly recommend for personal and group retreats.read more
Albert Spangler
14:15 25 Aug 23
This is an amazing place where you can feel God's presence and find peace.
Carol Swill
05:06 24 Aug 23
America's keseick is a wonderful place of peace and restoration. The combination of the physical and emotional feeding, together with the bible conference really works.I loved the Bible studies, and i loved the 'vacation stuff'- the pool, the... beach, the games,the music, walking around the lake- it all worked togetherread more
Karen Downs
18:43 31 Jul 23
Awesome place. Great place for children and awesome place to relax and enjoy
Richard Donato
18:14 14 Jul 23
Great place
Rubbins St Louis
18:57 12 Jul 23
Great place to visit and have fellowship with other believers. I love taking in God's word.
Loida Rojas LLM
06:03 04 Jul 23
They need to remodel all the dorms
Vince Dizol
04:56 26 Jun 23
Beautiful retreat center. You can feel the presence of God in the beauty of His natural creation in this place! Great pool and jacuzzi area as well as basketball / volleyball court!
Google Rating
4.8
Based on 383 reviews
America's Keswick Christian Retreat and Conference Center
4.8
Wanda Read
17:45 26 Sep 23
praise God for this place and all staff
Dinah Lopez
17:06 19 Sep 23
Beautiful property. Woodsy, nice lakes and a lot of land to explore. A great place for Christians to gather. They also have indoor auditoriums.
Andrea Rowe
01:30 18 Sep 23
Great banquet food.Great piano performance.
Melissa Williams
10:55 15 Sep 23
The warmest, most loving people working together on a mission of love for the Lord. This place is a treasure and I look forward to going every chance I get.
marilyn clinton
09:26 10 Sep 23
Food is not great.
Linda Hamadyk
04:54 10 Sep 23
The entertainment was excellent. The servers were great enjoyed my evening.
Raquel Perez
13:04 03 Sep 23
Amazing, relaxing, friendly and the most important part, the presence of God!!!
Doug Anderson
11:39 29 Aug 23
Had an amazing experience here for two nights!Stayed in the newly renovated rooms - very nice and clean.Amazing and helpful staff, maintenance, chaplains, etc.Everyone is very warm and friendly.Student summer staff were joyful and... respectful.They really take care of pastors and all of their guests.Such an atmosphere of hope, healing and restoration! Highly recommend for personal and group retreats.read more
Albert Spangler
14:15 25 Aug 23
This is an amazing place where you can feel God's presence and find peace.
Carol Swill
05:06 24 Aug 23
America's keseick is a wonderful place of peace and restoration. The combination of the physical and emotional feeding, together with the bible conference really works.I loved the Bible studies, and i loved the 'vacation stuff'- the pool, the... beach, the games,the music, walking around the lake- it all worked togetherread more
Karen Downs
18:43 31 Jul 23
Awesome place. Great place for children and awesome place to relax and enjoy
Richard Donato
18:14 14 Jul 23
Great place
Rubbins St Louis
18:57 12 Jul 23
Great place to visit and have fellowship with other believers. I love taking in God's word.
Loida Rojas LLM
06:03 04 Jul 23
They need to remodel all the dorms
Vince Dizol
04:56 26 Jun 23
Beautiful retreat center. You can feel the presence of God in the beauty of His natural creation in this place! Great pool and jacuzzi area as well as basketball / volleyball court!