Psalm 84

"My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God."  Psalm 84:2b

Psalm 84 is an expression of deep longing for the house and presence of the Lord.  The psalmist said , in Psalm 84:2, "My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God."  Do you and I long for time alone with the Lord in our daily devotions?  Do you and I long for the presence of the Lord in our daily activities?

Even the restless sparrow found rest and a home for themselves at the Old Testament alter of God.  So we also can find rest and peace for our souls in the presence of the Lord.  He alone can fill the longing and emptiness of our hearts with His joy.  The Lord alone provides for our salvation; and He alone meets our every emotional, physical, and spiritual need.  The psalmist said to God in prayer in Psalm 84:4, "Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they are ever praising You."  Yes, blessed and joyful are we who are secure in the presence of the Lord!  Blessed and joyful are we who are drinking in the blessings of His grace!

The psalmist went on in His prayer.  He said in Psalm 84:5-7, "Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.  As they pass through the valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.  They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion."  Blessed and joyful are we who find our strength in the Lord.  When we pass through the valley of weeping, trial, and difficulties in our lives, the Lord gives us His strength.  The Lord is our sustainer.  Not only does the Lord sustain us during difficult times, but He makes even the difficult times "a place of springs" in our journey through life.

Even the trials of life are transformed into blessings under the Lord's direction, as we submit to Him!  Hence, even the valleys of life can be turned into valleys of praise to the Lord!  A child of God goes from "strength to strength" and from victory to victory until he or she "appears before God in Zion."  Paul tells us in Romans 8:37, "in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

We must be busy serving the Lord in our small corners of the world.  It is not important that we are significant or popular in the eyes of the world.  What is important is that we are experiencing fellowship with the Lord and are serving Him.  Psalm 84:11 says, "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."  The Lord is our sun directing us on the paths of life.  He shatters the darkness all around us.  The Lord is also our shield.  No one or nothing else can provide us better protection than the Lord.  He gives us all we need, and He gives us only what is for our ultimate good.  Blessed and joyful are they whose trust is in the Lord!