The joy of being in God’s house
Psalm 84
To the leader: according to The Gittith. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.
1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
4 Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah
5 Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed.
10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than live in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; he bestows favour and honour.
No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.
Some word counts to begin – LORD – the name for God, YHWH – appears 7 times; God appears 8 times. God is “the living God”, “my King and my God”, “God of gods”, “LORD of hosts”; and twice it is “LORD God” (just in case we had not got the connection between the two words). This psalm is laser focussed on the LORD God. To be in relationship with this God is the psalm writer’s primary desire and commitment.
The joy of being in God’s house pours out of this psalm. While God can be worshipped anywhere, because God is everywhere; the truth of the matter is that having a place to go that has been set aside for the worship of God enriches our lives. Being in such a place brings us joy.
To be in God’s house is like cool water on a hot day; it is like finding a place that is home – it is a place to sing about, to rejoice in. (Note: “the valley of Baca” runs from northern Syria down to Egypt and beyond. It is well watered and usually green while the hills around it are brown. The Baca is the promise of water to a thirsty soul.)
So wonderful is it to be in God’s house that one day in God house is worth 1,000 days anywhere else. And we are back to the laser focus of the psalm – being with God, being in God’s presence is everything. The lowest position in God’s house is better than living in ease somewhere else.
Where do you go to be with God? Where are those sacred places for you that refresh your soul?
PRAYER:
O LORD God, we rejoice in the places where you meet with us, those places where we can be at home with you. We rejoice in the refreshment we receive from being with you in your dwelling place. In Jesus’ name. Amen.