There are times of great distress and discouragement for all people, whether they are a citizen of Heaven or not. As lovers of Jesus, we can fall into the trap of thinking we need to be happy and blissful all the time, but that is not reality. We are blessed because we are children of God. We do have joy in the Lord because of His grace and mercy towards us. But we don't always feel that way. In Psalm 42, the psalmist wrestles with his own soul, and what is recorded is a brutally honest discussion of faith, truth, and feelings. He begins with a declaration of his longing for God. "As the deer longs for streams of water...,"...
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!” - Psalms 84:11-12 The psalmist ends Psalm 84 with another blessing for those who trust in God. Worship is believing in Jesus and what He says. This is what truly matters in life. The Lord is a sun to us because He shines on us and is the brightness of our days. He is a shield to protect and guard us against our foes. He is the only one, true, possible source of grace, honor, and true glory. That simple trust...
“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You; Whose heart is set on a pilgrimage.” - Psalm 84:5 Another blessing found in Psalm 84 is for those who draw their strength from the Lord and set their hearts on meeting together to worship. For those in the psalmist’s day who were making their way to God’s house, worship was abiding with God. Not everyone could live in Jerusalem, or at the House of God like the Levites. Likewise, most of us reading this don’t work at a church, but we make our way there multiple times a week to worship and serve. We go through the “Valleys of Baca,” the valleys of weeping, the times of disappointment, the times...
“Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You.” - Psalms 84:4 In Psalm 84, we see there is a blessing to those you could live near the house of the Lord. The tabernacle represented the very presence of God, and being near meant you were closer to God. Worship happened at the tabernacle because that is where the Lord was. Today, we worship together with a song, a word of praise, a prayer, a word, an encouragement, or a challenge. Yet, the heart of worship is being with God. In His presence, we have fellowship with the eternal. The sons of Korah are writing of themselves in Psalm 84. They served in the Lord’s...
