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
