Psalm 84 April 28, 2007
I want to invite you to take a moment and really read Psalm 84.
1 How lovely are Your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts! 2 My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. 3 The bird also has found a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God. 4 How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You.
Selah.
5 How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways to Zion! 6 Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring; The early rain also covers it with blessings. 7 They go from strength to strength, Every one of them appears before God in Zion. 8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob!
Selah.
9 Behold our shield, O God, And look upon the face of Your anointed. 10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O LORD of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!
"No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly."
What did you see? I get the impression that the Psalmist stands in a ruined sanctuary as he writes this. It is not an unholy place, but one that has finished its time and has been reclaimed by the meadow or wood, which surrounds it. I see stone walls with no roof, and the homes of birds and small animals in its crevices. It is a quiet, natural place, a place to reflect upon life and the faithfulness of God. It is humbly majestic.
The Psalmist considers this the sort of place where the God of Peace might be found. It reminds him of heaven and fills his heart with a sweet homesickness. How wonderful it would be to live in this place like one of these birds, continually singing the praises of the Lord. This is the sort of place one visits on a journey, on the way to somewhere else. "Where do you go to, Pilgrim?" Here is the presence of the Lord, alone like Jesus on the mountaintop, we find rest (peace & strength) for the rest of our journey. How wonderful to have a moment with God! How much better it is to be here than anywhere else!
Spontaneously, he prays (and so do I), "God, you are so wonderful. My deepest desires are satisfied only in you. I worship you. I love you. You are amazing. Thank you for spending a moment with me."
1 How lovely are Your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts! 2 My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. 3 The bird also has found a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God. 4 How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You.
Selah.
5 How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways to Zion! 6 Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring; The early rain also covers it with blessings. 7 They go from strength to strength, Every one of them appears before God in Zion. 8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob!
Selah.
9 Behold our shield, O God, And look upon the face of Your anointed. 10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O LORD of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!
"No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly."
What did you see? I get the impression that the Psalmist stands in a ruined sanctuary as he writes this. It is not an unholy place, but one that has finished its time and has been reclaimed by the meadow or wood, which surrounds it. I see stone walls with no roof, and the homes of birds and small animals in its crevices. It is a quiet, natural place, a place to reflect upon life and the faithfulness of God. It is humbly majestic.
The Psalmist considers this the sort of place where the God of Peace might be found. It reminds him of heaven and fills his heart with a sweet homesickness. How wonderful it would be to live in this place like one of these birds, continually singing the praises of the Lord. This is the sort of place one visits on a journey, on the way to somewhere else. "Where do you go to, Pilgrim?" Here is the presence of the Lord, alone like Jesus on the mountaintop, we find rest (peace & strength) for the rest of our journey. How wonderful to have a moment with God! How much better it is to be here than anywhere else!
Spontaneously, he prays (and so do I), "God, you are so wonderful. My deepest desires are satisfied only in you. I worship you. I love you. You are amazing. Thank you for spending a moment with me."
Comments