Psalm 84 (Contemporary English Version)
- (For the music leader. A psalm for the people of Korah.) LORD God All-Powerful, your temple is so lovely!
- Deep in my heart I long for your temple, and with all that I am I sing joyful songs to you.
- LORD God All-Powerful, my King and my God, sparrows find a home near your altars; swallows build nests there to raise their young.
- You bless everyone who lives in your house, and they sing your praises.
- You bless all who depend on you for their strength and all who deeply desire to visit your temple.
- When they reach Dry Valley, springs start flowing, and the autumn rain fills it with pools of water.
- Your people grow stronger, and you, the God of gods, will be seen in Zion.
- LORD God All-Powerful, the God of Jacob, please answer my prayer!
- You are the shield that protects your people, and I am your chosen one. Won't you smile on me?
- One day in your temple is better than a thousand anywhere else. I would rather serve in your house, than live in the homes of the wicked.
- Our LORD and our God, you are like the sun and also like a shield. You treat us with kindness and with honor, never denying any good thing to those who live right.
- LORD God All-Powerful, you bless everyone who trusts you.
Though the specific time or occasion for the writing of psalm 84 is not evident it was obviously written at a time when the author was prohibited access to the temple. Very likely it was a time of exile for the writer and for Israel. The writer had learned the truth of the statement, "Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder," for it is true that we most recognize the significance of something when we lose it or no longer have access to it. And so the psalmist says, "I long and yearn for the courts of the Lord." He goes on to say, "How happy are those who reside in Your house, who praise You continually." There is the sense here that the happiness experienced in God's house worshiping Him is greater than any other happiness one can have. And this idea is further borne out in verse 10 when he says, "I would rather be at the door of the house of my God than to live in the tents of the wicked." Happiness is something everyone pursues in one way or another. But those who think to find it other than in the house of the Lord will find themselves in the tents of the wicked still falling short of the happiness they were pursuing. Verse 5 tells us the source of true happiness, "Happy are the people whose strength is in You." They go from strength to strength rather than from crises to crises which is often the plight of those who seek happiness elsewhere.
This is a great psalm on which to dwell for it reminds us of the source of true happiness. And as we dwell on this truth we need to keep in mind that happiness and fun are not necessarily synonymous. Fun seems to be a driving force for many but does it lead to happiness? In the absence of true, lasting happiness it may seem to. But a happiness that persists when all the fun is gone and even when times are hard, can only be found in the Lord. Make the comparison. Compare the one who definitely trusts in the Lord and the one who clearly does not. Whose happiness persists through all that life brings? It will be found true, as the psalmist concludes, "LORD of Hosts, happy is the person who trusts in You!"
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