7.21.20
REMEMBER:
We are two nights into our Shekinah worship experience. Take a few minutes to reflect on what God is revealing to you so far.
What truth have you heard?
What questions do you still have?
READ:
PSALM 84
1 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. 8 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob. 9 Look on our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one. 10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. 12 Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.
REFLECT:
Have you ever been this fired up about worship? Have you ever “yearned” to be in the presence of God like this Psalm describes? The writer tells about his wish to gp to the Temple in Jerusalem. Not just to show up with his friends and family for worship, but to experience the presence of God!
The problem for the Psalmist is that these events only happen about three times a year. All of Israel would make a pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem during the major feasts to eat, celebrate, and worship. The author even mentions the sparrow and the swallow who make their homes near the altar of the Lord. They get to stay while the psalmist must leave.
Have you ever been in a moment of worship that you didn’t want to leave?
Tonight, we are centering our thoughts on Jesus. He came to earth to be the dwelling place of God. As great as the temple was for the presence of the Lord, Jesus is greater.
I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.—Matthew 12:6
Everything that God did in the Old Testament through the temple he is now doing through Jesus. Reread Psalm 84 and think of Christ as our temple:
Jesus is our dwelling place Our souls yearn for Christ
Our hearts and flesh cry out for Him
Better is one day with our Lord than a thousand years anywhere else.
The wonderful news for us is this: unlike the Psalmist who could only go to visit the dwelling place of the Lord a few times a year, we never have to leave the presence of Christ! He says in Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always.” We can enter Christ’s presence and never leave.
Rewind back to verse 3. While the Psalmist was forced to leave, the sparrow and swallow stayed, made their homes, and enjoyed the presence of God. May we be like them. May we build our lives in the presence of King Jesus.
Amen.
HHYG 