One Thing: A Letter to West Franklin

Last updated on: October 30, 2021 at 8:17 am by Matt Pearson

One Thing: A Letter to West Franklin 2021-10-30T08:17:08-05:00 Matt Pearson

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West Franklin Family,

If you could ask God for one thing what would it be? Seriously. Think about it for a moment. I’ll wait. If you could ask God to do ONE thing for you, what would that ONE THING be? If you are anything like me, a plethora of things come to mind. Everything ranging from my kids loving Jesus to a healthy marriage to healthy parents to a church that lives on mission with Jesus. The hard part of this isn’t that I don’t have things I want God to do. The hard part would be narrowing it down to ONE thing.

If you could ask God for ONE thing what would it be?

King David (from the Old Testament) told us the one thing he wanted:

“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. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.” (Psalm 27:4-5)

David asked God for one thing. There was only one thing he sought after. His sole desire and request was to gaze on the beauty of the LORD. He wanted to behold God. He wanted God. Not for more nations to conquer. Not for more military power. Not for more power or influence. Not for restored family relationships. Not for a wife. He wanted God. His one request was to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD.

Consider. . .

David had to go to the temple, the house of the LORD, to do this. Pre-Jesus, pre-cross, pre-death, pre-resurrection, pre-Spirit – the order of the day was to find God in the temple in Jerusalem. He wanted to be where God was. For David, that was God’s house, His temple, His sacred tent, His dwelling. Post-Jesus – everything changed. Jesus made a way for us to have access to God and for God to have free and intimate access to us. This means we can behold God whenever and however and wherever we are. This means we can seek and gaze upon the beauty of the LORD at any and all times. God’s dwelling is with us. It means God is as near to us as our own breath.

West Franklin, tomorrow morning we will begin worshipping in the fellowship hall for the foreseeable future. I have ONE desire. I have ONE request. I have ONE thing that I am seeking during these months: that we would gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in the fellowship hall together. Seriously. It’s what I desire. It’s what I want. It is going to look different. It is going to feel different. We are going to wish for a sanctuary where we’ve met with God before. But I want us to recognize and become aware of the reality that God is present and near and beautiful wherever we are. He is near while standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon. He is near while driving in Middle Tennessee in the Fall. He is near in a worship center. He is near in a beautiful cathedral. He is near at your work desk. He is near in your church small group. He is near in a conversation with your spouse. He is near in the car with your kids. He is near over coffee with a friend.

David’s one desire was to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple, in His house, in His sacred tent, and where He dwelt. For David, if he could gaze upon the LORD’s beauty, everything else would be okay. If his soul could be postured in adoration of the infinite and remarkable and glorious God, he knew everything else would fall into place. Not in the sense that everything would go his way. But his soul would be centered, whole, reminded, confident. “And the things of this world will go strangely dim, in the light of His glorious face.”

Would you pray this for us? Would you pray that this would be our ONE desire as we gather for worship tomorrow? Would you pray that if this isn’t your one desire, for God to realign your/our heart(s)? What if, by the time the worship center renovations are complete, we have become a people who gather together weekly for ONE thing – to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD? I’m not sure, but I think this is a prayer God is eager to answer. (Just kidding. I am certain He wants to answer this one!)

Because He’s Greater than We Could Ever Imagine,

Pastor Matt

Tomorrow morning, we are starting a 4-part series through Philippians 4. My Bible will be open to Philippians 4:1-7 and I cannot wait! See you then. . . in the fellowship hall.

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