586_God exceedingly meets our deepest desires (Psalm 132)

Psalm 132 Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor,
all the hardships he endured,
2 how he swore to the Lord
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “I will not enter my house
or get into my bed,
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

6 Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place;
let us worship at his footstool!”

8 Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your saints shout for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

11 The Lord swore to David a sure oath
from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body
I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
shall sit on your throne.”

13 For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his dwelling place:
14 “This is my resting place forever;
here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provisions;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 Her priests I will clothe with salvation,
and her saints will shout for joy.
17 There I will make a horn to sprout for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
18 His enemies I will clothe with shame,
but on him his crown will shine.”

When the famed architect Sir Christopher Wren designed St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, he devoted nearly forty years of his life to a single passion: creating a space worthy of God’s presence. He labored through political upheaval, funding shortages, fires, criticism, and failure. Yet when the cathedral was finally completed in 1710, someone asked him why he endured so much just to build a church. Wren said, “I am building for the glory of God.” It wasn’t comfort, reputation, or even history that drove him. It was desire — a deep, sustaining desire for God to have a place of honor among His people. Though Wren lived thousands of years after David, his heart reflected something found in Psalm 132: the longing to see God dwell among us, to honor Him, and to give Him a resting place in our midst.

Psalm 132, one of the Songs of Ascent, opens a window into some of the deepest desires ever recorded in Scripture. It shows us what happens when our longings move beyond ourselves and toward the glory of God. So much of our praying, even our worship, begins and ends with us — our daily bread, our health, our comfort, our family, our safety. God cares for all of that. Jesus even instructs us to ask for those things. But Psalm 132 invites us to look higher, wider, and deeper. It tells the story of a man whose desire was not primarily for his own blessing but for God’s presence to dwell among His people continually.

David remembered that for centuries, the ark — the visible symbol of God’s presence — had no fixed home. From the tabernacle built by Moses, through the wilderness wanderings, through battles, judges, and kings, the ark moved from tent to tent. In the days of Eli, it was even captured by the Philistines before finally being returned. Yet during Saul’s long reign, it was largely forgotten. David expressed his burden in 1 Chronicles 13:3, “Let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.” That single sentence exposes a nation’s spiritual condition. Israel, blessed and preserved by God, had lived without actively seeking His presence. David refused to continue that tragedy.

He made it his mission to bring the ark to Jerusalem. His first attempt failed because he did not follow God’s instructions, and a man named Uzzah died trying to steady the ark. Most people would have given up after that. But David’s desire wasn’t momentary enthusiasm; it was a deep longing formed over years of honoring God. So he studied the right way, tried again, and this time he danced before the ark with all his might. Worship overflowed from desire. Psalm 132 remembers this passion: “I will not enter my house or get into my bed, I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

That kind of longing is rare. David was troubled that he lived in a house of cedar while God’s ark still dwelled in a tent. The Lord had never asked for a permanent house, but David wanted to give one. When he told Nathan the prophet of his plan, God responded with astonishing generosity. David wanted to build God a house, but God said instead, “I will build you a house.” David wanted a structure of stone and wood; God promised a dynasty, an eternal throne. God met David’s desire not at the level of David’s request, but far beyond it — the same God Paul describes in Ephesians 3:20 as the One who “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.”

The psalm shifts from memory to prayer: “Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool!” The worshiper asks God to arise and rest among His people, to clothe priests with righteousness, and to fill the saints with joy. These are noble desires — not simply “bless me,” “protect me,” or “give me,” but “make us righteous,” “let us know joy in Your presence,” “come and dwell among us.” Anyone can pray for a comfortable life. It takes a spiritually awakened heart to pray for righteousness and joy and unity in worship.

Then comes God’s response — and like every divine response to noble desire, it exceeds expectation. God not only agrees to dwell with His people, He says He desires to. “For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place. This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.” What began as David’s longing becomes God’s delight. We long for Him, yes — but the staggering truth of Scripture is that He longs for us more.

God promises abundance: “I will abundantly bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread.” He promises righteousness: “Her priests I will clothe with salvation.” He promises joy: “Her saints will shout for joy.” He promises security: “His enemies I will clothe with shame.” And at last, He promises a king — one greater than David — whose reign will never end. History shows that David’s descendants failed. They did not keep God’s covenant, and the throne was lost. But God’s promise found fulfillment in the One born in Bethlehem, hailed by Gabriel in Luke 1:32–33: “He will be great… and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David… and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Jesus Christ is the answer to every desire in this psalm. He is God dwelling among us. He is righteousness clothing His priests — His church. He is bread for the poor, joy for the saints, light for the world, and King forever.

Psalm 132 reveals that God exceedingly meets our deepest desires — when our desires are set on Him. David longed for God’s presence, not just His protection. He wanted a dwelling place for the Lord, not merely a blessing from the Lord. And when he sought God’s glory rather than his own comfort, God poured out abundance beyond what David could imagine.

So what about our desires? Are they mostly small and personal — success in work, peace in the home, bills paid, prayers for safety, comfort, or daily needs? God cares deeply about those things. But do we also desire something greater? Do we long for His presence to rest on His people? Do we pray for righteousness, unity, and joy among believers? Do we ache to see God honored in our cities, our churches, our families?

Maybe deep down we long for God, but we settle for lesser wants because they seem more urgent or attainable. Psalm 132 urges us: lift your desires higher. Don’t be satisfied with only receiving; seek dwelling. Don’t only pray for personal holiness; pray for God’s glory to rest among His people so powerfully that others can’t help but notice. Let our prayers move from “help me” to “inhabit us.” From “bless my life” to “build Your kingdom here.”

A practical way to begin is simply to ask God to reshape your desires. Each day, take a moment to pray, “Lord, make me long for Your presence more than anything else.”, for Your kingdom than anything else. Pray for your church — not merely that it would grow, but that it would be holy, joyful, and radiant with God’s presence. Ask God to clothe His people with righteousness and fill them with shout-for-joy worship that flows from hearts transformed by Christ. Pray that His glory would rest in your home. Pray that your city would experience God’s presence in surprising ways. Ask not just for bread — ask for His dwelling.

When we set our hearts like David — restless until the Lord has a place — we can expect God to respond not just with answers, but with abundance. He still delights to exceed the desires of those who desire Him. He still says, “This is my resting place forever.” He still clothes His people with salvation. And He still causes the crown of Christ to shine.

May we never settle for lesser longing. May we hunger for God’s presence. May we believe that when we ask for Him, He will give far more abundantly than all we ask or think. God bless.