Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage… They go from strength to strength…  Psalm 84:5, 7

Faith’s Pilgrimage

The psalm expresses the yearnings and the prayers of a pilgrim approaching the Jerusalem temple.  Each has a place here: longing pilgrimage and prayer.  Psalm 84 is one of the psalms of Zion.  These psalms celebrate God’s presence in Jerusalem, the city where His temple was built.  Today it is not to go to Jerusalem to draw near to God, for God is near those who trust in His Son (Matt. 28:18).  This psalm was composed by the sons of Korah.

** We have a home to go to.  Our longing pulls our heart to take on the journey.  Until we reach our eternal home, God makes each of us a home where He indwells.  So, there’s no room for loneliness!

84 1 To the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! 2 My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, And the swallow a nest for herself, Where she may lay her young– Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, My King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You. Selah 5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion. 8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah 9 O God, behold our shield, And look upon the face of Your anointed. 10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly. 12 O Lord of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!