Psalm 84 Part 2
As we continue with this psalm I am enthralled and inspired by the psalmist for his passion for the House of the Lord. I am challenged by his desire to experience the presence of the Lord, I believe it is a timely reminder not to allow the pressures of life to wear us down to a point where we believe that the house of the Lord is not important anymore and that could not be further from the truth. Verse 3 says “Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young – even your altars, O Lord of Hosts, my King and my God”. When Jesus was on the earth He taught how He looked after the sparrow and how we were more important to Him than the sparrow. This verse reinforces the truth that the House of the Lord and His presence and to those who consider that it is not important then those people need to take stock of themselves. In God’s sight, every person is important to Him and we know this because Jesus died on the cross for the sins of everyone. We also note that the birds have found a home in the house of the Lord, Church is not a place that we visit from time to time, it is the place where we enjoy His presence and is our resting place. I can speak from personal experience of how much more effective is my relationship with the Lord when I make the House of the Lord a priority. The psalmist highlights those things that we consider unimportant but they are in God’s sight important, the swallows made the altar their resting place – this is the place where Lord chose to demonstrate His great love to us. The psalmist goes on to describe his Lord a Saviour as ‘My King and My God’. This is so very challenging but also very true, he named his Lord and Saviour” My King and My God”. This signifies a basic truth to me, firstly he used the word ‘my’ this tells me that he saw his relationship with his Lord as personal, he was not influenced by what other people claimed to have experienced. This is a fundamental truth that is so liberating – I am not to compare myself with other people but have a personal relationship with my Lord. Also, he declared that his Saviour was king and God of his life, when we make Jesus King and Lord of our lives we submit our will to Him I am no longer in charge of my life but have given that authority to Him. Verse 4 says “Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they will be still praising you” The word blessed used here means ‘To be happy’ – you cannot fake happiness, you are either happy or you are not. The sad thing at times we think we can deceive God this is most alarming for this is deception because He knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts. This is why it is so important from time to time to come before the Lord and allow Him to show us anything that is stopping our close relationship with Him. The verse answers how we can know if people are committed to spending time with the Lord. Take note of what people are talking about, The bible says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45) – you cannot hide what kind of person you are, if you love the Lord then your speech will always be glorifying Him, may we be a people who are always praising the Lord!