Psalm 84:5 - Oh The Blessings In Walking With Jesus.
Psalm 84:5 - Oh The Blessings In Walking With Jesus.
Psalm 84:5 (NIV) Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who
have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
Psalm 84:5 (GWT) Blessed are those who find strength in you.
Their hearts are on the road that leads to you.
Psalm 84:5 (TLB) Happy are those who are strong in the Lord, who
want above all else to follow your steps.
Do you enjoy browsing in the library, going to see a friend,
relaxing on the sofa, or walking through the woods? Sometimes the world
becomes a pressure cooker, and we need to go to a place that refreshes
us. Where is that place for you?
Psalm 84 talks of the place to go when we need refreshment.
Other psalms in this section of Scripture speak of ways to
turn the tables and affect the world by defending the weak against
unfair people (Psalm 82) and praying for people who hate or oppose God
(Psalm 83).
The writer of Psalm 84 had a deep desire to dwell in God's
presence (84:1-4). In fact, he loved the Lord so much that he envied the
sparrows because they could build nests near the altar (84:3). He
recognized that those who seek God are richly rewarded (84:5-7). This was
his cure for a meaningless and hectic existence.
We, like the psalmist, need to have a desire to know God
intimately and a desire to dwell in his presence. Fortunately, we don't
have to visit the Temple to commune with God. Today, because of the
death and resurrection of Christ, we can meet God anywhere, at any
time. If we belong to him, his Holy Spirit lives within us, and his
presence is always with us. We need only to go to God in prayer to enjoy
being in his presence (see Hebrews 4:16).
When the busyness of this world catches up with you, get away
and spend time alone with God. It will be well worth your time to do
so. [The One Year Through the Bible Devotional by Dave Veerman]
Because we can worship God anyplace and anytime, we might
fail to understand the psalmist's longing. In Old Testament times a
person made a pilgrimage to worship God. It was a yearly event and
often involved a lengthy journey. That is why the psalmist sang of a
dwelling place where he could be in the presence of the Lord. It's why he
expressed a desire to be even a lowly gatekeeper in God's house (v, 10) so
that he could worship God every single day! We have available to us
what the psalmist could only hope for. When Christ hung on the cross,
the heavy veil separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the
temple ripped from top to bottom. This symbolic act shouted to the
world that believers were no longer required to stand at a distance.
We can walk into God's presence and commune with him by name. Today
many religions continue to require a pilgrimage to worship their
gods. Christ made a way for you by making a pilgrimage of his own -
the long, lonely walk to the cross - so that you could praise him
wherever you are.
JESUS, I am thankful that I can worship you right where I am.
I will enter your courts with thanksgiving. I will kneel at the
mercy seat and find forgiveness. I will call out your name in praise.
Lord, I pray for those who do not have intimacy with the living God.
You have already made the pilgrimage for them. Open their eyed to
see that they can find you right here, right now. [Praying Through
The Bible By Fuller]
Psalm 84 reflects a longing for the presence of God. But the
psalmist knows that he doesn't have to wait until heaven to find
happiness. Those who have set their minds on Christ can walk each day in
paths of joy.
But what if we're in the "Valley of Weeping" (v. 6)? What if
the diagnosis is cancer? What if our children make horrible choices?
What if we lose our job? What will sustain us in our darkest days?
Our hope is not in a distant city with streets of gold. Our
hope is in the omnipresent Lord God, who travels with us each step of
our journey. He is the One who sheds light on our dark path and
protects us from evil. His grace and glory make our wilderness a place of
refreshing springs with pools of blessings. Because he will not withhold
from us any good thing, we can have peace in his faithfulness to
supply all we need.
In our prayers for our daily needs, let us not lose sight of
the One who sojourns with us. Let us set our minds on the goal: to
live every day strengthened in the glorious light of his presence.
LORD, forgive me for my nearsightedness that keeps me focused
on worldly cares. Please give me an eternal perspective on all that
happens to me today. Set my mind and my heart on you so that I can
embrace your presence moment by moment. You, O Lord, are my strength and
my hope. [Praying Through The Bible By Fuller re Psa. 84:5, 11]
ILLUSTRATION
My life was near perfect. I had amazing children, a strong
marriage, a beautiful house filled with friends, a "dream job" working
part-time at my kids' school, and a growing ministry for moms. Within a
month, everything changed. Through clear guidance, God called us to
leave our comfort zone for a new opportunity to serve him.
The next year wasn't easy. We faced shocking financial
hardship. My husband, Mike, fell from a tree, shattering his right ankle
and left heel, and lived in a hospital bed for several months. We
were in a car accident. Our daughter got pneumonia. And the new job,
new school, and loss of community only added to our struggles.
Driven to my knees, I found comfort time and again. My
husband handled his disability with courage and faith, and God
introduced me to Psalm 84. Our pilgrimage took us to our own Valley of
Weeping, but God made it clear that we were merely passing through. He
provided a refreshing spring or healing rain just when we needed it. The
desert journey lasted exactly one year, and we were once again blessed
with financial security, ministry opportunities, and friends. Looking
back at our trail of weary footprints, we are stunned to see that
through it all, God somehow still used us to help bring refreshment and
blessing to the people in that lifeless valley.
Pennie Bixler, wife of Mike and mother to Aaron and
Bridgette, is a writer, speaker, scrapbooker, and senior director of
SAMmy's (Strength Among Moms), a Bible study for mothers. [The One Year
Bible Live Verse Devotional]
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Have bad things really happened to you? You and God may have
different definitions for the word bad. Parents and children do. Look up
the word bad in a middle-schooler's dictionary, and you'll read
definitions such as "pimple on nose," or "pop quiz in geometry." "Dad, this
is really bad!" the youngster says. Dad, having been around the
block a time or two, thinks differently. Pimples pass...
What you and I might rate as an absolute disaster, God may
rate as a pimple-level problem that will pass. He views your life the
way you view a movie after you've read the book. When something bad
happens, you feel the air sucked out of the theater. Everyone else gasps
at the crisis on the screen. Not you. Why? You've read the book.
You know how the good guy gets out of the tight spot. God views your
life with the same confidence. He's not only read your story ... he
wrote it. from Come Thirsty [Grace For The Moment SB By Max Lucado]
After being battered all day by a hot south wind, the squash
vines and tomato plants in our garden drooped in the fading light.
They practically cried out for water from the sprinkler. But the
trees in the yard were green and flourishing, though they required far
more water than the squash and tomatoes. The deep roots of the trees
found a hidden source of water far below the surface where the garden
plants struggled. Like those trees, people who trust in the Lord are
not at the mercy of surface circumstances because we have deep roots
to our eternal Source. [Quiet Time SB re Jer.17:7]
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Seek My face more and more. You are really just beginning your
journey of intimacy with Me. It is not an easy road, but it is a
delightful and privileged way: a treasure hunt. I am the Treasure, and the
Glory of My Presence glistens and shimmers along the way. Hardships
are part of the journey too. I mete them out ever so carefully, in
just the right dosage, with a tenderness you can hardly imagine. Do
not recoil from afflictions, since they are among My most favored
gifts. Trust Me and don't be afraid, for I am your Strength and Song.
(Psalm 27:8; 2 Cor. 4:7; Isaiah 12:2) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
Trust Me and don't be afraid, for I am your Strength and
Song. Think what it means to have Me as your Strength. I spoke the
universe into existence: My Power is absolutely unlimited! Human
weakness, consecrated to Me, is like a magnet, drawing My Power into your
neediness. However, fear can block the flow of My Strength into you.
Instead of trying to fight your fears, concentrate on trusting Me. When
you relate to Me in confident trust, there is no limit to how much I
can strengthen you.
Remember that I am also your Song. I want you to share My
Joy, living in conscious awareness of My Presence. Rejoice as we
journey together toward heaven: join Me in singing My Song. (Isa. 12:2,
3; Psa. 21:6) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
ONE LINERS
No other joy can be compared with the joy of His presence.
Prayer seeks fellowship with God and provides that fellowship even when
we are far removed from the house of worship. [Disciple SB]
Oh, what a life of wonderful joy, adventure, and ever-deepening
love the good shepherd leads us all to! As we follow him along the
path of life, let us leave him to choose every step of the way, as we
live in his radiant presence and are ever led to still higher places.
Hannah Hurnard (1905-1990)
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE:
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2004/20040914-1404.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice
Seeking God Video Clip: http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prophecies Decoded Sermon Series:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
