Psalm 84: Pilgrimage

​Key Verse
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
 
Meditation
The point of pilgrimage is God Himself. God, and God alone, is the highest good for humanity.
 
Today’s Psalm is a pilgrim text. Love for where God dwells (v. 1) and trust in who God is (v. 12) frame the psalm, strengthening the saints (v. 5) from “strength to strength” until they are in His presence (v. 7). The song’s celebration of being where God dwells forces us to diagnose our own hearts: Would you rather spend a day in the courts of the Lord or 1,000 elsewhere? Would you rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God or dwell in the tents of the wicked (v. 10)?
 
God Himself is the “blessedness” of His people (vv. 4, 5, 12) and worship is crying out with our whole being (v. 2) to be nourished by the presence of the Living God. God is our protector and provider, our sun and shield who bestows favor and honor on all who turn their hearts to Him. God will not withhold good from those who walk righteously to Him (v. 11)!
 
The original pilgrims singing this song were preparing their hearts for worship in Jerusalem’s temple, but they were really seeking the Heavenly Zion where Christ sits enthroned (Hebrews 12:22-24). Jesus is the greater temple, the ultimate presence of God with His people. Faith in Jesus makes believers the temple of the Living God, where His Spirit dwells! (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) Only through Jesus’ work can the key verse be fulfilled, the pilgrim path to Zion is placed in our hearts (v. 5).
 
Today’s Reading
How lovely is your dwelling place,
    O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and 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 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
    ever singing your praise! Selah
 
5 Blessed 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;
    each one appears before God 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 dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
    from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
    blessed is the one who trusts in you!
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the passion to dwell in the presence of God?
 
-How about you- Would you rather spend a day in the courts of the Lord or 1,000 elsewhere? Would you rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God or dwell in the tents of the wicked (10)? 
 
-The Holy Spirit unites us with Christ so His dwelling is with us and our dwelling is with Him. Take a moment to marinate on this reality, asking Him to deepen your satisfaction with Him.

 
Key Verse
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.