“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 and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God! What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises. Interlude What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage 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, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem. O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Jacob. Interlude O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield! Show favor to the one you have anointed. 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 and our shield. He gives us grace and 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.”
Psalms 84:1-12 NLT
There is a strange fear that prods against coming into the presence of the Lord. Dante captured it well when postulating Satan’s position that it would be better to reign in hell than serve him. There are many who balk at the idea of everlasting life, thinking it would be unfulfilling to always give a song on your heart to your creator. They have no zeal for the House of the Lord, not because they don’t understand its profundity, but because they don’t appreciate it. They forsake the gathering of believers precisely because they are uncomfortable with the promise of Christ’s presence in their midst. This is a particularly visceral type of rebellion that has laid siege upon their hearts and rewritten their intuition toward God. For them, reason will be their last hope. Thank God that reason originates in him. Yet, for the bird and the child alike, the simple delight of being in God’s providence is still instinctual. Not only is it an earmark of innocence but also an indicator of cleansing. When we allow ourselves to be loved by God and confess and repent our sins, we begin to love him. We begin to be refreshed by his presence. We long to be with him in every way. All evidences of him become pause for joy. We ought to allow ourselves the simple pleasure of seeing God everywhere and learning to delight in him.
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