Daily Devotional

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord…” Psalms 84:1-2

In the Old Testament, God’s people were expected to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem three times a year to celebrate the feast of Passover in the spring, Pentecost in the summer, and Tabernacles in the fall.  These were sacred, joyful, costly and difficult journeys for most people, but they were rewarded for their effort.

In our day, when so many Christians are unwilling to get out of bed on Sunday morning and drive 10 minutes to church, they remind us of the sacred priority of corporate worship.
 
I encourage you to pause for a moment and read Psalm 84, because you will be blessed!  It’s a pilgrimage song that describes the writer’s passion for God’s presence.

In verses 5-6, he writes: “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs…”

What a spectacular portrait of worship!  Beloved, is there a highway in your heart to Zion?  Have you paved an expressway through the crags and canyons of your heart so you can hasten into God’s presence with God’s people?

The word “Baca” means weeping.  But notice what happens when God’s people pass through.  They make it a place of springs.  They transform the valley of sorrow into an oasis of blessing.

That’s what worshipers do!  We proclaim the power and glory and compassion and supremacy of God over every inch of ground we set foot on, and by his grace we transform it.  Worship is the key to transforming our circumstances, because God is the key.

Beloved, no matter what trial you may be facing, God will carry you through the valley of weeping as you worship him.  And he will bring showers of blessing out of your tears.

Perhaps you should spend some time worshiping the Lord right now.  Before you do, read these precious verses again from Psalm 84, and let them inspire you to praise.

Three declarations:
  • “My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD” (verse 2).
  • “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” (verse 10).
  • “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (verse 10).

3 blessings:
  • “Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!” (verse 4).
  • “Blessed are those whose strength is in you…” (verse 5).
  • “Blessed is the one who trusts in you!” (verse 12).

1 promise:
  • “No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (verse 11).
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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