Better is One Day In Your House Than A Thousand Elsewhere!

 

 Psalm 84 is one of my all-time favorite Psalms. It is so rich, so full of hope, joy, and promise for us today in these last mintues, that I wanted to take a break from the bad news and focus on some good news!  

 

The Psalmist starts out telling the Lord how much he longs to be with Him. I know many of you like me are feeling the same way these days. 

 

How lovely are Your dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! My soul (my life, my inner self) longs for and greatly desires the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.  v 1-2

 

Remember "hosts" means heaven's armies. I love thinking of Jesus as the Commander in chief of all the warrior angels. It gives me an incredible sense of peace. 😀 

 

This first verse reminds me of another psalm.

 

As the deer pants [longingly] for the water brooks,
So my soul pants [longingly] for You, O God.
My soul (my life, my inner self) thirsts for God, for the living God.
When will I come and see the face of God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”  Psalm 42:1-3

 

Isn't that the cry of our hearts these days? "When will I see your face?" And of course all the mockers saying "Where is your God?" 

 

In Psalm 84, the Psalmist continues talking about those who dwell with the Lord, the swallow, the sparrow, and all who are in God's house, singing His praises. How blessed they are! 

 

The following verses really leapt out at me for those of us in these last days who are following the Lord. 

 

Blessed and greatly favored is the man whose strength is in You,
In whose heart are the highways to Zion.
Passing through the Valley of Weeping (Baca), they make it a place of springs; The early rain also covers it with blessings.
They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power];
Each of them appears before God in Zion. V. 5-7 

 

For those of you who feel weary right now and you can't go on... remember your strength comes from God, not from yourself. If your  soul purpose, your only desire is to make it to Zion, the city of the Great King, that heavenly Zion, don't lean on yourself. You have the Commander of Heaven's Armies leading you and helping you!

For those of you who, many days, feel like weeping, who actually do weep often, realize that your tears, your love for Jesus, make the desert you are crossing a place of springs!   That reminds me of Psalm 23:4

 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me. 

 

I like to picture a desert with no green grass or trees... a parched land without water or life (such as is the state of the world today) and then as we are walking on our journey toward that heavenly city, every place our foot touches, grass begins to sprout, flowers and trees pop up alongside springs of water. Why? Because we have the Source of all Living Water within us.  

 

He who believes in Me [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Me], as the Scripture has said, ‘From his innermost being will flow continually rivers of living water.’” John 7:38

 However, notice the last part of those verses, "They go from strength to strength". I'm using the Amplified version, but I did look up the word for strength here. It is Hayil, which indeed means strength, might, and power like an army.  So, even though you may not feel like it, as you continue on your way to Zion, walking with the Lord, you are growing in power, not just any power, but victorious power until EACH ONE of us appears before God in Zion. Each one, not some, not a few, not the strongest, bravest, worthiest. If you are on the path. If you are following Jesus and long to be with Him. Then you will make it! And you'll make it victoriously!

Further in the Psalm the writer describes how he'd rather spend 1 second with the Lord, even just being a waiter or slave or doorkeeper, than live with the wicked in comfort and luxury. I don't know about you, but I've thought about this at length. I've even pictured myself living in a mansion with the wicked on a tropical beach with everything I could want, even with a tall ship to sail, money, beauty, etc! And then I pictured living with Jesus, but we are instead living in the slums of some filthy city with very little. You know what? I'd rather be with Jesus. I hope you feel the same way!

I'll leave you with verse 11, which is one I often remind the Lord of. 😉

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord bestows grace and favor and honor;
No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

No good thing. What's a good thing? Food, shelter, water, health, success, employment, family salvation, wisdom, guidance.... you fill in the blanks. The thing is that if we walk uprightly, God promises to not withhold any good thing. But you have to walk uprightly. I looked it up and in the Greek it means undefiled, without spot or blemish. 

Spot and Blemish reminded me of the Bride of Christ, which brings us back to our present age.

 

that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:27

And undefiled?

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. James 1:27

So what are the takeaways from this incredible Psalm?

• If the cry of our hearts is to be with Jesus, if we are following Him on our way to heaven, then He promises to be our strength. And in the meantime, he turns our tears into springs of living water that make our paths lush and help those around us.
• That if we continue onward, we will ALL make it, not dragging ourselves over the finish line but in victorious power!
• And lastly, that God promise not to withhold ANY GOOD THING from us if we continue walking with him in holiness and purity. 

 

So, keep going forward saints!  There is a great reward waiting for you at the end of the journey!!  

 

‘You have done well. You are a good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will put many things in your care. Come and share my joy.’ 

Matthew 25:23