Psalm 84

 3Even the sparrow finds a home,
   and the swallow a nest for herself,
   where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
   my King and my God.
4Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
   ever singing your praise!
                        

 5Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
   in whose heart are the highways to Zion.^[b]
6As they go through the Valley of Baca
   they make it a place of springs;
   the early rain also covers it with pools.
7They go from strength to strength;
   each one appears before God in Zion.

 8O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
   give ear, O God of Jacob!
                    

9Behold our shield, O God;
   look on the face of your anointed!

 10For a day in your courts is better
   than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
   than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
   the LORD bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
   from those who walk uprightly.
12O LORD of hosts,
   blessed is the one who trusts in you!

One day in His courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.  Oh, how I pray my soul would feel that more deeply.  I have been granted far more than one day, though.  I have been granted eternity to spend in His courts! The courts of the Lord are where my heart desires to dwell.  I long to worship in spirit and in truth, in freedom and an unashamed manner.  My heart yearns for the truth and glorious beauty of His courts, for the justice and mercy that are paired together, flowing from the throne of Grace.  Even the sparrow finds rest at the altars of the Lord, a place she can call home; she finds a place of shelter and refuge for herself and her young.  May the nest of my heart be found at the sovereignly sheltering altar of the Lord, where His faithful hand of deliverance and protection guides and strengthens me in whatever may come.  No matter the storm, no matter the trial, no matter how great the hurt, may my heart find its peace at the altar of the Lord and no where else.  May I rest in Him, singing an endless song of praise from lips that have been touched by His endless love and grace. 

Those who walk through the valley, who shed a river of tears, and who seem to find no rest for their weary emotions  are strengthened by the almighty hand of the Lord.  How blessed are His people to know the way of righteousness and to know that no matter where that way takes them, their sovereign guide is the Lord.  The dry places become rivers and the barren land bears fruit, they dance and sing for joy, exulting in what God has done for them.  However, the exultation of God's people is not simply because He blesses them with gifts and showers them with blessing, it is because of who He is and why His people were created.  Truly, it is better to be a doorkeeper in the Lord's house than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.  Temporal pleasure may be quite easily found in the way of folly, but eternal torment and destruction await once the immediate enjoyment is consumed.  Oh, how marvelous a task it truly is to hold the door for and take the coats of those who have come to walk on the highway to Zion.  Those who enter the gates of the Lord enter with thanksgiving and praise, with gladness and exultation.  What better vantage point could there be to the exuberance of His people than among them? Where else would heir joy be so overwhelming? What better place to join in the salvation song of the saints?

The Lord God has bestowed favor and honor upon His people, He has saved them from the punishments they justly deserved and delivered them to a safe harbor.  While all might not be smooth sailing, and while not all waves will bring good news, still His people can say "Great is the Lord!" because they trust in Him.  They trust in His sovereign plan to bring about their ultimate good and His superseding glory.   They trust in him, for He is good and His faithfulness endures through all generations, they trust in Him because He has called them to trust in Him.  They trust in him because their hope is not in the things of this world but in the King seated on the ultimate throne of the universe.  They trust in him because He is their God, their sun and their shield, their rock and their provider.