“Lord, remember David
and all his self-denial.
He swore an oath to the Lord,
he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
‘I will not enter my house
or go to my bed,
I will allow no sleep to my eyelids,
till I find a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.’
We heard it in Ephrathah,
we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:
‘Let us go to his dwelling place,
let us worship at his footstool, saying,
‘Arise, Lord, and come to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
May your priests be clothed with your righteousness;
may your faithful people sing for joy.
For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject your anointed one.”
Psalm 132:1-10 NIV

The story of King David starts in 1 Samuel 16. He is anointed to be Israel’s second king. His story is how when will live our imperfect life in pursuit of God, that God will bless us. We pursue God by living a life that includes prayer, worship, reading the Bible, and displaying God’s love to the world.

“The Lord swore an oath to David,
a sure oath he will not revoke:
‘One of your own descendants
I will place on your throne.
If your sons keep my covenant
and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
on your throne for ever and ever.”
132:11-12 NIV

If we choose to live a life that honors God and to reflect God’s unconditional love and acceptance to His people, our neighbors. Then God will bless our life and those blessings will carry over to future generations.

“For the Lord has chosen Zion,
he has desired it for his dwelling, saying,
‘This is my resting place for ever and ever;
here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.
I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor I will satisfy with food.
I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.
Here I will make a horn grow for David
and set up a lamp for my anointed one.
I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but his head will be adorned with a crown.”
132:13-18 NIV

The root word for Zion is the Hebrew word, Tsiyon. Which has multiple foundations. It is the Hebrew word, siyyon, which means castle. It is also the Hebrew word siyya, which means desert. Life will sometimes have us in the castle with God or in the desert with God. When we choose, we are choosing to go through all seasons of life with God.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,”
Ephesians 3:20 NIV

God’s capacity is immeasurable and the life He has in mind for us is beyond our wildest dreams. When you choose God and center Him in your life, you are choosing to let God lead you to your highest point of living possible. God lets us choose our level of living, but His choice for our lives, He has already placed within us.

The path to living as our highest best selves is unlocked by our faith in God and works. We nurture a relationship with God by prayer, worship, reading the Bible, fasting, and displaying God’s unconditional love to our neighbors. The path to our highest best selves is a road that requires us to leave our comfort zone,  confront our fears, face the painful stories we tell ourselves, and heal. This is the works part and it requires us to be brave and courageous. It requires us to leave our comfort zone.

We get to choose.