We’ve studied Psalm 84 and discovered what it’s like to have an encounter with the living God, or better yet, an ongoing encounter with the living God. We’ve seen the Psalmist’s “heart cry,” and his “heart set on a pilgrimage” until he has a restored, ongoing encounter with the living God.
Psalm 84 closes with his expectation of “heart bliss”: “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.”
Remember, the king is hiding. He is not desiring to get back to his luxurious palace or sit on his throne. He’d be glad just to be a doorkeeper in the house of his God. That would get him close to God and His people. That’s where he’d experience God as a sun to brighten his day, and as a shield to protect him. He’d receive from God favor and honor. Unable to describe all God would pour out on his life, he says, “No good thing would God withhold from him.”
In spite of his circumstances he was committed to walk blamelessly before his God with the conviction, “O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.”
Do you desire such “heart bliss”? Have you ever experienced it? Is it your “heart cry”? Have you “set your heart on pilgrimage” – pressing on, no matter what struggles you’re experiencing today.
Pray to become passionate about pursuing an ongoing encounter with the Living God.
