Morning

October 20

Psalms 84:10-12 ¹⁰Better 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. ¹¹For 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. ¹²O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

Psalm 84 is called "the pearl of the psalms." It is neatly divided into three sections, each ending in "Selah." The first section is about the desire to come near to God. The second section is about the journey to the temple. The third is arriving in the temple of God. The Jews most likely sang this as they journeyed to Jerusalem to participate in the feasts of the LORD.

The psalmist loved to be in the temple. He said that just one day there was better than a thousand anywhere else. The temple is now the body of believers, the body of Christ. Do you so desire genuine fellowship like the psalmist who longed to be in the temple? He wished he was one of the Levites assigned to keep one of the gates of the temple. To him that was better than any pleasure the world could offer. Where do you consider true pleasure to be found? If it is hard for you to relate to the psalmist's desire, perhaps you need to ask the LORD for a clearer revelation of genuine fellowship in the presence of God and the horror of the end of this world's pleasures.

He goes on to say that the LORD God is a sun and shield. The sun is the source of life. It provides the energy from which our planet derives all its energy. God is the source of all strength and life. He shields us from the onslaught of the enemy of our soul. He brings good things into our lives. In fact, every good and perfect gift is from the Father of lights (James 1:17).

The psalm ends declaring the blessedness of the man who trusts in God. Where is your trust placed for the activities that lay before you today? Are you trusting in self to get things done, to provide, to meet your family's needs? If so, you are not going to find the peace in your heart that the psalmist is speaking of. But if you are trusting in the Maker of heaven and earth, you will be blessed.

Remember: No matter what comes your way, in Him there is joy, peace, and true blessing!