“In God’s house” (Psalm 27/26)

“One thing I ask of God, one thing I seek: to dwell in God’s house all the days of my life” (v. 4). If the liberating experience really takes place, as has been described until now, then we must arrive at a conclusion; If God is alive and gives life to one’s inner being, if He is the source of all happiness and of all freedom, then we must conclude: only one thing is important, only one thing matters, the only thing I will strive for, and will search for is to dwell eternally “in God’s house”.

“This I believe: I shall see the goodness of God, in the land of the living” (v. 13). The land of the living is this life; the opportunity that God gives us to be happy and make others happy. To enjoy the goodness of the Lord is simply, to live, no more and no less.

With so much beauty to be found in the depths of this psalm, it could not but finish with a loud cry of courage and hope. “Put your hope in God, be strong, let your heart be bold, put your hope in God” (v. 14). Man has to face life and its dangers, and is in need of shelters where he can take cover. He has learnt not to put his trust in the powerful people of the earth, “in the lords of the earth;” by experience he knows that only the power and the love of God save. This power and love awaken trust in man and this trust is the basis of his security. This security then is transformed into the joy of life, a life fully lived.

Extracted from the book “Psalms for life” by Father Ignacio Larrañaga