It's good to think more deeply about the mercies of God in times of crisis. To help guide us in this effort, we'll consider Paul David Tripp's collection of meditations from Psalm 27 called "A Shelter in the Time of Storm." You can get your own copy on Amazon here.

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.

Psalm 27:4

Why are so many of us eager to get back to worship and so frustrated with each passing Sunday? Because, like David, in times of trouble the "one thing" our hearts crave is participation in the presence of God through his grace in worship.

That's how we should feel - not just when we miss worship for weeks at a time - at all times! The beauty of the Lord should be the one thing that we always seek after. Only he can deliver on the hopes and desires of our hearts. "This desire was designed to be the central motivating desire of every person created by God and made in his image."

Tripp points out the many, many, other things we can try to use to fulfill that desire:

Power. Approval. Comfort. Image. Control. Dependence. Independence. Inclusion. Achievement. Prosperity. Work. Religious activities. Irreligion. Race or culture. A person. Family. Helping. Suffering. 

He's not wrong. There are an incredible variety of things we turn to for fulfillment. Sometimes it's not until we're under attack (as was David in Psalm 27) that our vision narrows to see the only object that can fulfill our desires: God himself.

Whether in times of trial, like today, or in the normal day-to-day, Tripp's warning is an important one: "...your one thing will control your heart, and whatever controls your heart will exercise inescapable influence over your words, choices, and actions." What's your one thing?

Questions to Consider

The questions are Tripp's. I included my answers in case they're helpful to read.

1. Look at the one-thing catalog. Which of these has tended to hook you? How has that shaped what you do and say?

- Power. I desire to be influential over others and this does not always result in loving them as I ought.

- Control. I want to control my surroundings, including people. It is not love to insist that I have my own way.

2. Where do you see a daily war taking place for the control of your heart?

- I don't like the question because the answer is "everywhere!" In every relationship and in every sphere of life there are temptations to make the one thing something other than God.