Psalm 84

At the time of the psalmist, idolatry was prevalent. The people in the surrounding nations worshipped many different gods, including Baal and Artemis. The people believed their gods resided in the hills or in the temples erected in their honor. Within the temples, or on hill tops, statues were set up. This form of worship stood in sharp contrast to the Jew’s worship of God. When Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem he said, “But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27). While God had made the Temple His dwelling place on earth, the Jews knew the Temple could not contain his glory. While the worshippers of Baal may have longed to go a place where they believed their god lived, the Jews longed for their God. Psalm 84 is the cry of one’s heart to know God, to be in the presence of God.

For me, Psalm 84 is a great reality check. It seems at times as though my heart, my desires, my wants are scattered here, there and everywhere. Sometimes, I allow the silliest things to steal my joy in the Lord; I allow insignificant things to steal my peace in God. When I read Psalm 84, I am reminded what the heart of a fully devoted follower of Jesus truly desires:

 How lovely is your dwelling place,

    O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

I long, yes, I faint with longing

    to enter the courts of the Lord.

With my whole being, body and soul,

    I will shout joyfully to the living God.

A single day in your courts

    is better than a thousand anywhere else!

I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God

    than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.

Psalm 84: 1-2, 10

I compare these longings with those within my heart and then, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I identify where I got off track. I confess my errors that caused me to miss the mark, and then reaffirm my desire to know only God’s will for my life. 

Nothing less, nothing more, nothing else.

Sē’lah

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What word or phrase in today’s reading of the Psalms

 attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

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Reading for July 25, 2012          Psalm 85