Long to Stand in the Lord’s Dwelling
Daily Old Testament Reading: Psalm 84-85, 89
Daily Focus Passage: Psalm 84
How much do you long to be in the presence of the Lord? In Psalm 84, the Psalmist declares that he longs to dwell in the presence of the Lord and with the people of God. He opens by acknowledging the beauty of God’s dwelling place and continues to speak of a deep passion and desire to rest in that place. The opening of this Psalm challenges our hearts to long correctly for the Lord.
YEARN TO BE IN THE LORD’S PRESENCE
The Psalmist penned, “How lovely is your dwelling place.” This declaration acknowledges the deep desire to be in the presence of the Lord. The Psalmist sees the glory and greatness of the Lord even in the dwelling place. In an earthly sense, the temple serves as a foreshadowing of this greatness and beauty as the temple is understood as the earthly dwelling place. Today, we yearn for the presence of the Lord as we are the temple. We yearn to honor him and be in his presence and allow him to dwell in us and control us. We must develop the heart of seeking to live in the presence of the Lord continually.
YEARN TO BE WITH THE PEOPLE OF GOD
The Psalmist speaks of the desire to be in the courts of the temple. The courts were the location surrounding the temple where the people of God would gather and rejoice. Only the priest could enter the holiest locations at the temple, but in the courts, the people could gather and rejoice. They could gather and learn. They could gather and fellowship. The Psalmist speaks of his deep desire to be with other people of God. Likewise, we must continue to develop a deep yearning to be with other believers. The New Testament commands us to “not neglect the gathering of the saint.” (Hebrews 10:25). We must desire to gather in the “courts” with other believers to long for the Lord and to worship Him.
YEARN TO PRAISE FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE HEART
The Psalmist describes his worship as an overflow of his heart and a crying out of his soul. Such an act of praise flows the authentic self and extends to the Lord uninhibited. The praise extends because of the knowledge that the Lord alone is worthy of all honor and praise. We yearn to enter a state of complete openness with the Lord, cry out in our pain, and worship in our joy. When we yearn to praise from the depths of our hearts, we declare our complete trust in the Lord.
Do you long to stand in the dwelling place of the Lord? Are you faithful in gathering in the courts with other believers and drawing close to the Lord? Are you praising the Lord from the depths of your soul? May we long to spend one day in the Lord’s presence over ten thousand days anywhere else.
