From Strength to Strength
Psalm 84:19
1. > How lovely is thy dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! 2. My soul longs, yea, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. 3. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. 4. Blessed are those who dwell in thy house, ever singing thy praise! [Selah] 5. Blessed are the men whose strength is in thee, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 6. As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. 7. They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion. 8. O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! [Selah] 9. Behold our shield, O God; look upon the face of thine anointed!
Again we are reminded that each of us possesses a part of God within us. We do long for Him, and for that feeling of His grace to wash over us. If we’re lucky it happens once or twice in our life times. When we have no doubt, do hesitation in believing that God is Lord of all—especially of us and our souls. I guess you could call it a foretaste of heaven.
In verse three even the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest at the altar of the Lord. God provides for all, everyone and everything He has made. How wonderful to be like a bird, able to fly right up next to God and nest there! How wonderful to dwell in His house and sing God’s praises all day long! Even with my voice, in heaven it would sound beautiful! Or maybe I would receive a different assignment!
Blessed here means blessed, happy, peaceful. We all strive for that in our lives. It’s had to find; hard to achieve. The world is so full of distractions and temptations that its easy to get sidetracked from our real need—our only need: God. He is our Lord, our King, my Lord, my King. He wants to be for each us exactly what we need. He is all-sufficient, and He wants us to be satisfied in His sufficiency.
Our hearts long for heaven. When we set out on the journey that leads us to God, we find sustenance and direction and we do not lose our way. Every trial become less difficult, every burden easier to bear. Every challenge in life becomes a testament to God’s power working within us as we overcome and defeat those challenges.
God is the God of gods. Above all others. Above all else; above everything. We are truly blessed when your strength is in Him and our hearts seek His peace.
I hope today you find rest and comfort on the highway to Zion. Set your heart on God. He will sustain you and satisfy you today as you go into the world.
Mary
