WORSHIP IN THE PSALMS (3)

“My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” – Psalm 84:2a

Holy Passion for God’s Presence is one of the profound products of WORSHIP in the PSALMS: “How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (Psa.84:1-2). The psalms are vehicles for meditation through which images, words, thoughts and experiences of others move us closer to our Creator. No one person can experience or relate all of God, but through the word pictures of the psalms, we can catch glimpses of the psalmist’s interaction with the Living God, stirring our own spirit to daily engage in worship of our Gracious God.

Psalm 84 – a Psalm of the sons of Korah, centres on entering True, Devoted Worship of God. The Psalmist guides us into Worship by describing his spontaneous response to admire the Lord and His unique ways of working in his life. This psalm is a reminder of our life’s journey of knowing and pursuing God which is the basis for our spontaneous times of worship. The psalm helps us better understand how to devotedly love God and thereby enter the proper spirit of worship of the only true God. Genuine worship springs forth from lives of simple delight and service. Worship reveals itself with obedience – knowing what genuinely pleases the Lord and then doing those things. Worship is not just one of our activities, but the springboard of all that we think, love, and do.

Psalm 84 is in three sections, each ending with “Selah.” Each section shows God’s special ways of revealing Himself in order to heighten our delight of in praising Him with our lives, words, and songs. The first section (vv.1-4) presents the opening extraordinary declaration of God’s majesty in His House. It ends with an exclamatory “Blessed are…”  and “Selah” (v.4). True worship must be God-oriented, dismissing all fascination with oneself and completely preoccupied with the amazing ways of the Almighty God who calls us into His fellowship. Worship is not merely breaking through to God but dwelling in His Presence because our hearts are, through Christ’s Grace, in the right place before Him. The heart of the true worshiper of God is: Adoring – paused before Him, meditating on His multi-faceted virtues (v.1); longing for (v.2a); and personally expressive (v.2b) – “My soul…my heart…my flesh”!

The second section begins with, “Blessed is the man” (v.5). The image of traveling portrays the three annual trips to the tabernacle or temple. Pilgrimage is costly in time, strength, and means. Yet, Worship is like the adventure of a pilgrimage, with the destination being the Presence of God. We come together, not as a club or a social gathering, but to meet with the Lord. The reference to “Baca,” meaning weeping, shows how the Lord is intimately involved in our lives, even at trying times: “As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion” (vv.6-8). This section concludes in prayer – “O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer...” – and “Selah” (v.8).

The final section reiterates Focus on the Lord and how to live every day in His Presence: “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand...” (v.10a). This talks about being in the temple where the Glory of God dwells. One day in the Presence of God would be better that a thousand days anywhere else. According to the New Testament, we who trust in Jesus are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. We don’t only have to go to a special place to spend time with God. We live and walk in His Presence. His Spirit lives in us. We have a Passion for His Presence that’s above all else: “For the LORD God is a sun and shield.” God is our Sun and Shield. He is our Light of Life. Apart from Him, there is darkness. He’s our Deliverer, Defender, Protector, and Guide.