How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven's Armies.
I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord.
With my whole being, body & soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home, & the swallow builds her nest & raises her young at a
place near your alter, O Lord of Heaven's Armies, my King & my God!
What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises.
What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a
pilgmrimage to Jerusalem.
When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs.
The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.
They will continue to grow stronger, & each of them will appear before the God in Jerusalem.
O Lord God of Heaven's Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Jacob.
O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield!
Show favor to the ones you have annointed.
A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.
For the Lord God is our sun & our shield.
He gives us grace & glory.
The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.
O Lord of Heaven's Armies, what joy for those who trust in you.
Psalm 84 NLT
The footnotes to the Life Application Study Bible say the following about this psalm.84:1,4 The writer longed to get away from the bustling world to meet God inside his dwelling place, his holy Temple. We can meet God anywhere, at any time. But we know that going into a church building can help us step aside from the busy mainstream of life so we can quietly meditate & pray. We find joy & strength not only in the prayers, music, lessons, & sermons but also in fellowshiping with other believers in a special place.
84:5-7 The pilgrimage to the Temple passed through the barren Valley of Weeping. No specific valley has been identified. The "weeping" may have been a symbolic reference to the times of struggles & tears through which people must pass on their way to meet God. Growing strong in God's presence is often preceded by a journey through barren places in our lives. The person who loves to spend time with God will see his or her adversity as an opportunity to experience God's faithfulness even more deeply. If you are walking through your own Valley of Weeping today, be sure your pilgrimage leads toward God, not away from him.
84:11 God does not promise to give us everything we think is good, but he will not withhold what is permanently good. He will give us the means to walk along his paths, but we must do the walking. When we obey him, he will not hold anything back that will help us serve him.
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