A Daily Devotion for Friday, January 23

ontrakk
2 days ago
2 min read

Psalm 84

How lovely is your dwelling place, LORD Almighty!

My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 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.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house;

they are ever praising you.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the Valley of Baka,

they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

Hear my prayer, LORD God Almighty;

listen to me, God of Jacob. Look on our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one.

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. 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.

LORD Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.

I am drawn to the verse which contains this piece: “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.” Until I was an adult, a pilgrim was a person who came to the new world on a ship and celebrated Thanksgiving with Native Americans. I didn’t realize that the word “pilgrim” had ancient, holy roots. A “pilgrimage” is a journey to a holy place, or to a place with great meaning and importance to the traveler. If our lives are a constant and continual search for God, a journey to grow closer and closer to Him, our journey as pilgrims is to grow closer and closer to God. The physical end of our pilgrimage will be our ultimate arrival in paradise to be with God forever.

Holy Lord, May I live my life as a pilgrim, following you, God, actively searching for the way which is closest to your will. Amen

Becky, transforming

2 Comments

Tom Andrew

2 days ago

“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.” We can choose to be in God’s court wherever we are. It is a matter of attitude, how we present ourselves to others, how we conduct our affairs, how we reflect the teaching of Jesus. We must always be on guard to avoid slipping into worldly habits or otherwise behaving in ways which place us “elsewhere.” When we find ourselves elsewhere is the time to remember this thought from Psalm 84. We then become the sparrow who finds a home, the swallow who finds a nest as we re-enter God’s court.

Prayer - Merciful God, better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere. Keep…

Rosalind Spiller

Psalm 84:1-12. In God's Presence

One of the first things we do before our story time at Bel-Air is to ask God to be present with us during our time together. We sing one of our favorites, "Kum Ba Ya". The ladies know it quite well and they understand why we sing it. Although I know God is with me always, I want my ladies to remember that God is with us right there at Bel-Air.

Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for always being near supporting and protecting me and all those around me. AMEM