How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD
Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow
a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Selah
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca (Weeping),
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, O God of Jacob.
Selah
Look upon our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.
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.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
O LORD Almighty,
blessed is the man who trusts in you.
This last weekend I had the opportunity to participate in a retreat called "Rest with Purpose." God, who knows all things, provided this retreat at a moment when truly I needed it. I needed a refocusing of where my rest & refreshment come from. I needed to follow the example of Jesus & escape to be with the Father (with no internet, no cell phone, no television, no chance of someone coming to the door to visit).
This weekend we spent some time reflecting on this Psalm. If you're one of the 2 or 3 people who maybe read this, I invite you to read through this Psalm again. Slow down & listen to what God may want to minister to you through it...
See those words: "home, nest, dwell, house, place." That's what God wants to be for us here & now. We're on a "pilgrimage" to Heaven (that is if we've given our lives to the Lord). Living in a land that is like the Valley of Baca, the Valley of Weeping. We live in a world where mankind calls good what is wicked & bad what is Godly. To follow Christ is to be on a pilgrimage... to go against the flow of where everyone else is headed. It is we who follow the Giver of Life, the Living God who make where we are into a place of springs. In our weakness, His strength is complete. In our trials he calls us to joy... Joy of the Lord which is our strength. In Him we go from strength to strength. He hears our prayer, He has chosen you & annoints you with His presence & power. He is our shield, our strength, our sun, our light, our song, our ever present help in need, our faithful friend & lover who will never leave nor forsake us. If we have anything good, it's from Him... and He will behold no good thing from those who follow Him on this pilgrimage doing good in a world that is upside down.
Before this weekend, it wasn't that I was in a horrible place of sin or waywardness... but the 24 hours that I invested in seeking His presence are better than a thousand elsewhere! Where are you today? Today... TODAY His invitation is to abide in Him. To find our home, nest, house, courts in Him & dwell. Today in His presence is better than a thousand elsewhere!
Again, to the 2 or 3 people who read this (probably Mom, Dad, Aunts, Uncles & Cousins :-)) this is my greatest prayer request. Pray that whether I'm here, there or wherever, be it 5 years, or 5 days... I want to dwell in His presence as I enjoy the pilgrimage with Him. I want to "abide in Him" in John 15 lingo. His presence is more beautiful than we can imagine! I headed into this weekend lovesick for the Lord. Longing, fainting in my inner being for His presence. May I not lose that lovesick feeling for the Lover of my soul. I am lovesick for my Savior & homesick for Heaven... may those desires always focus me to seek being even a doorkeeper in the house of my God.