The upright will dwell in Your presence. (Psalm 140:13b)
The greatest need of man and the greatest desire of God is to experience His presence. Everything flows from the presence of the Lord, and the nearness of God is our greatest good.
“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love,” the songwriter said. The lure of the world, the flesh, and the devil is relentless. It is easy to be pulled away, like Martha, who was “distracted (literally, “drawn away”) by her many preparations” (Luke 10:40).
It is hard to stay focused on Him, but it is possible. We go where we want to go and do what we want to do. Hunger and desperation determine our direction. And if we seek Him, we will find Him if we search with all our hearts.
To be upright is to walk straight as opposed to crooked. To stay on the path by God’s grace and not deviate. If we veer to choose anything else, we lose the conscious awareness of His presence.
If other things are more valuable to us than His presence, we will take the crooked path toward their pursuit every time.
Therefore, it is vital to continually renew our minds and realize that God's will is good, acceptable, and perfect. We must treasure it and treasure Him, like the pearl of great price and the hidden riches in the field. If we see His value above all else, we will sell everything to gain Him and, in gaining Him, gain everything.
So, “dwell” is the operative word. What we need is not just a moment in His presence—a brief period in a worship service, Bible study, or prayer. We cherish these, but the settled victory comes as we learn to dwell—to stay—to remain in a stable or fixed position, not to be drawn away or distracted.
Jesus called this “abiding.” In His closing admonitions to His disciples (and to us), He uses this verb ten times in 8 verses (John 15:3-11). The answer to every question or objection they had was to abide. And to dwell in His presence is the solution to our every problem and the provision for every need.
