Nothing Less, Nothing More, Nothing Else

June 1, 2017

Nothing Less, Nothing More, Nothing Else

Happy are those who live in your house,

ever singing your praise.

Selah

Psalm 84:4 (NRSV)

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 to 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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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.