Do You Long to Be with God? (Psalm 82-85)
Do you long to be with God more than anything else? Psalm 84 shows that true joy and fulfillment are found not in places or plans but in his presence.
Psalm 82-85
Today's Scripture Passage
A Few Thoughts to Consider
How much of your day do you think about being with God?
As Christians, we know we should spend time with God. But just because we know this doesn’t mean we live like this. Psalm 84 is a psalm of the sons of Korah. “According to Exod 6:21–24, the Korahites are descendants of Levi through Kohath and Izhar. In 1 Chr 6:7 [6:22], Korah is also a Levite and a descendant of Kohath, but with a different lineage. The Korahites were a guild of temple singers according to 2 Chr 20:19; they also appear as temple gatekeepers in 1 Chr 9:19; 26:1, 19, and as bakers in 1 Chr 9:31.”[1] In Psalm 84:1-5, we read these words:
1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord of Armies.
2 I long and yearn
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh cry out for the living God.
3 Even a sparrow finds a home,
and a swallow, a nest for herself
where she places her young—
near your altars, Lord of Armies,
my King and my God.
4 How happy are those who reside in your house,
who praise you continually. Selah
5 Happy are the people whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
Feel the weight of these words. Robert Alter notes, “The term translated as ‘lovely,’ yedidot, is associated with dod, ‘lover,’ and dodim, ‘lovemaking,’ and conveys a virtually erotic intensity in the speaker’s longing for the Temple on Mount Zion.”[2] It’s a strong, affectionate love. It’s a love many would think of as weird when placed in connection to God. But it is the heart of someone who really longs after God. There is this yearning, this deep desire to be with God.
“Small birds such as swallows may well have nested in the little crevices of the roughly dressed stones that constituted the Temple façade. The speaker, yearning for the sacred zone of the Temple, is envious of these small creatures happy in the Temple precincts, whereas he, like an unrequited lover, only dreams of this place of intimacy with the divine.”[3]
Verse 10 says that famous phrase many Christians have quoted over the years: “Better a day in your courts than a thousand anywhere else.” A more literal translation is, “For better one day in Your courts than a thousand I have chosen.”[4] It’s saying that out of all the places in the world one could choose to be, the best place and the most satisfying place is with God.
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Support TMCA Meditation to PRAY
Praise | Lord, I praise you for your beautiful dwelling place and the joy it brings to those who seek you. Your presence is a source of strength and blessing, and even the sparrow finds a home near your altar. Thank you for being our sun and shield and for granting favor and honor to those who trust in you.
Release | I release my fears and anxieties about not being enough in your eyes, knowing that you withhold no good thing from those who walk with integrity. I let go of my doubts and the distractions that pull me away from seeking your presence. I surrender my impatience, trusting in your perfect timing and the blessings you bestow.
Ask | Lord, I ask for the desire to dwell in your house and find my strength in you. Help me to trust in your goodness and rely on your provision in every circumstance. May I always seek to walk blamelessly before you, finding joy and satisfaction in your presence.
Yield | I yield my plans and desires, choosing to prioritize your presence above all else. I submit my understanding and seek your wisdom, knowing that a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I give my heart entirely to you, acknowledging that you are my ultimate source of joy and fulfillment.
A Challenge to Act Like Christ
The beauty for Christians today is that because Jesus came and tore the veil of the temple in two, we can experience God wherever we are. We are God’s temples. He abides in us. We don’t have to go to a physical building to worship and find our enjoyment in him. It is something available to us at all times and in all places. Jonathan Edwards said:
God is the highest good of the reasonable creature, and the enjoyment of him is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows. But the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams, but God is the fountain. These are but drops, but God is the ocean.[5]
Question: How much do you think about being with God? Do you find your happiness in him? Do you enjoy spending time with him? Or do you find the words of Psalm 84 utterly foreign?
Contrary to how many Christians behave, following Jesus is not just a theoretical ideal, and there is no such thing as a “Cultural Christian.” The Christian life, while rooted in rich theological truth, is also one of tremendous experience. We speak to God, and God speaks to us. We share what’s on our hearts; he shares what is on his. Until you grasp this, these words from Psalm 84 will ring hollow. But when you do, everything changes.
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[1] Marvin E. Tate, Psalms 51–100, vol. 20, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 351.
[2] Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: The Writings, 203.
[3] Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: The Writings, 204.
[4] Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: The Writings, 205.
[5] Jonathan Edwards, “The Christian Pilgrim,” sermon preached in 1733
