Read Psalm 84
For the director of music. According to gittith. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
8 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.
9 Look on our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.
10 Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
12 Lord Almighty,
blessed is the one who trusts in you.
Go Deeper
This psalm, penned by one (or more) of the Sons of Korah, shares an eternal truth with us that is as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago when it was written: There’s nothing quite like the presence of God. The psalmist here describes the importance of being in the house of God. There was a longing and a desire to be inside God’s house. The psalmist would even settle for being outside in the courts! Why? Because that’s where God’s presence could be found. Why would you even want to go anywhere else?
When we read this, it’s easy to think of this solely through the lens of “going to church.” Even though we know it’s incorrect, we think of a physical church building as the place we go to meet with God. That’s where God is. While physically gathering with other believers to worship corporately is extremely important, the truth is we’re able to enter into the presence of God at all times. Because all believers have the Holy Spirit inside of them, we aren’t restricted to merely finding God inside a building. Through prayer, we can enter into the presence of God at any given moment.
A helpful question to ask ourselves as we read Psalm 84 is “Do we take that for granted?” If we’re honest with ourselves, the answer is probably yes. The psalmist says “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.” We hear that. We’ve even sung songs about that. But do we believe that? The psalmist says he “would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” This is a reminder to us to flee from the earthly temptations of treasures and trinkets that have no eternal value. Instead, let’s enter into the presence of God with a posture of humility and gratitude that we get to have access to Him.
Questions
- Why was the tabernacle such an important place to be for the Psalmist?
- Do you take for granted having access to God?
- How can you practically apply today’s reading to your life? What is something in your life that needs to shift?
Keep Digging
Interested in learning more about the Sons of Korah? Check out this article from GotQuestions.org.
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2 responses to “Psalm 84”
Coming together for corporate worship.
We should definitely worship God in our own quite time. Have that intimate relationship with Him. But there is also a time to come together for worship. My imagination runs wild at what will be! I can sing ok, and I love to. Singing all together with Sisterhood and at church is such a blessing and I just imagine how our Heavenly Father just sits and listens to us. I believe that it also makes His heart happy.
Vs 2 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Being at the throne of God, in His presence is beyond spectacular and when we have that experience for all eternity, Oh my! What a day! Vs 10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. Concentrated time alone with God, I believe is what leads to continual time with Him through our day, wherever we go, school, in work, and in everything we do.
We are so blessed! If you have accepted Jesus as Your Lord and Savior, there is nothing but blessing after that. Yes I know, what about [fill in the blank] BUT GOD! Even if and even when there are struggles, illnesses, whatever it is, this is not the end. This is just a practice run. Sit with Him, talk to Him, sing to Him, yell at Him, tell Him what is going on and how you think it could be fixed. All the things are with Him, through Him and for Him now. Praise Him, go to church and praise Him. Go to prayer for sisterhood and praise Him. Sit in your car and praise Him. Talk about Him, what He has done, is doing and how better is one day in His courts will be or is!
God thank You for today, these minutes of this day. Help me to praise You through them. God better is being in Your presence better than anything I can think of. God thank You for helping me grasp that for these minutes of this day. God thank You for showing me who to speak Your word and love over. Thank You for helping me to love well. God thank You for me staying focused on what is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, thank You for me walking in these all the minutes of this day in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God”
(V2).
Once you’ve experienced the goodness & kindness of the Lord nothing else will suffice. Every other thing falls short and leaves us longing for the one true God. Only in him are we truly satisfied. Saint Augustine expressed it this way, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until we rest in you.”