1 John 1:7 exhorts believers to “walk in the light as He is in the light.” This recalls Psalm 27 where David declares, “The Lord is my light and my salvation”, and he prays in verse 4, “that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord”.
Psalm 27 (NKJV)
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
A blogger on The Fellowship Site comments on this verse:
“The morning light pushes away the darkness and distant vision is possible once again. When we go through the dark places of life and we cannot see into the future, it is good to understand, by faith, that the Lord is our light for direction and deliverer from troubles. Because he strengthens our lives we do not ever need to live in fear.” (https://www.thefellowshipsite.org/psalm-271.html)
In verse 4, David declares his heart’s greatest desire:
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.
This prayer is the high calling of every believer, to dwell in the presence of the Lord every day, to behold the beauty of His holiness, to commune with Him, and find His direction for each day. Jacqueline Heider comments on her site, (https://jacquelineheider.com/a-meditation-on-psalm-274-gaze/):
“Have you ever been completely captivated by someone or something? Perhaps it was a breathtaking sunset or newborn baby that caught your attention. What did you do? Did you glance for a moment, or did you become so enamored by the vision that you stopped, turned, and looked “full-on” into the face of the exquisite sight?
“David was captivated when he wrote these words in Psalm 27:4 (ESV) …
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.
“Gaze is from the Hebrew, chazah, which means to see, perceive, to contemplate with pleasure, look, behold.
“This idea of gazing or beholding requires more than a passing glance; it is purposeful contemplation of something so magnificent that you just can’t take your eyes off of it. You drink in the sight, and as you do, you find sheer delight in its presence.
“To gaze on the beauty of the Lord is to look, with full attention, into the face of Jesus in all of His glory.
“Several examples come to my mind when I think of gazing on the beauty of the LORD, but none are more prevalent than that of Mary of Bethany at Jesus’ feet. We see her at His feet twice in Scripture. In Luke 10:39 we see her there listening to His teaching, and then in John 12:3 we see her anointing His feet and wiping it with her hair.
“I think what strikes me most about these two moments is the time Mary takes away from all of the other pressing things she could be doing. She simply sits with or dwells with Jesus in an unhurried fashion and finds delight and joy in His presence. She beholds His glory in each of those moments, and it is as though time stands still. She worships her Lord and is completely unconcerned with those around her. And both times she is rewarded with a verbal note of praise from Jesus and a heart bursting with love.
“Have you done that recently? Have you taken the time to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD?”
“What is your response to what Jesus did for you? Do you gaze upon His beauty daily?”
“Take time this week to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord daily, hourly, moment by moment. As you dwell in His presence and gaze upon His beauty, He will be honored and you will find sheer delight!”
The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ for all of us is pictured in this prophecy of Isaiah 53:
4 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
This greatest gift of God’s love is described in John 3:16:
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Believing in Jesus Christ and receiving Him as Savior and Lord, we can walk in the light as He is in the light, empowered by the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
1 John 1 (NKJV)
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Walking in the light also means letting His light shine through us as Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 1Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
In John 17:3, Jesus prays, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” In John 17:18, He prays for the disciples, “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” Then He declares In John 17:20, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word”.
The new year brings new hope. Even if your mobility is restricted, you can call down heaven right where you are, as Jesus taught the disciples in Matthew 6. This prayer is a model, pattern and template of Heaven.
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
David Krause, dhkrause@neteze.com, https://compellinglove.net/, 1/5/2010
Photo credits:
(1) https://www.thefellowshipsite.org/psalm-271.html *
(2) https://jacquelineheider.com/a-meditation-on-psalm-274-gaze/ *
(3) http://jesusisgod316.blogspot.com/2016/05/john-121-3-mary-anoints-jesus-feet-at.html
(4) https://worldchallenge.org/verse/isaiah-536-0 *
(5) https://www.familyradio.org/scripture/1-john-1v7/
* Includes excellent teaching.
Compelling Love 
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