READING: Psalm 47-49, 84-85, 87
There is a sense of anticipation in Psalm 84, a psalm that reverberates with the psalmist’s delight of journeying to Jerusalem to worship at the temple. That place of worship is “lovely.” It is God’s dwelling place. Those who have regular access to that place are ever praising God, surely singing of His majesty and worth. They are blessed indeed.
The psalmist, in fact, concludes with a statement I heard often as a young believer but did not fully understand: “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked” (Psa 84:10). The psalmist could have spent a thousand days anyplace else, and those days would have been no comparison to just one day in the Lord’s court. Moreover, he much preferred being a lowly servant in the Lord’s house over dwelling in the tents of the wicked. The latter could hardly offer the psalmist anything compared to his being in the Lord’s presence.
How much more ought we rejoice today because the Lord invites us into His presence through the shed blood of His Son! Our worship ought to be filled with wonder and gratitude–so, may we yearn to be with Him.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: Do you rejoice over your privilege to worship the Lord?
DAILY PRAYER: “Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in You [Psa 84:12]. Help me to trust You.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Psalm 1-2, 10, 33, 71, 91
