Jessica Albritton, Family Connections Minister LHBC
Psalm 84:1-10
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and swallows a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed! For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Back in the 1960s psychologists began to study motivation as it pertained to behavior by asking respondents to pick between two fixed options. Later in the 1970’s psychologists used the same method to study aggressive behavior in children. This later got picked up by the public and now over 50 years later game makers have taken the method of study and made it onto a fun game called Would You Rather? Questions such as, would you rather lose the ability to read or lose the ability to speak?, would you rather be covered in fur or covered in scales?, or would you rather have one real get out of jail free card or a key that opens any door? are lots of fun and usually cause giggles from those both asking the questions and answering.
In Psalm 84 the psalmist does something similar as he compares being a doorkeeper for the house of the Lord to dwelling in the tents of the wicked. Biblically speaking the doorkeeper was a position of importance but it certainly wasn’t glamorous. The doorkeeper would often stand right at the threshold of the door and keep watch of the temple. For the most part the job of a doorkeeper was lonely and boring. Many didn’t receive the privilege of entering into the house of which they were keeping watch over, instead most doorkeepers would only stand at the door and be able to peer in. The psalmist goes on to say that serving in that role was more honorable and gave him more joy than that of dwelling in the safety of a tent with wicked men.
The psalmist’s desire for being a doorkeeper was not about being comfortable, it was about being in the presence of the Almighty God. In the same way, our relationship with the Lord isn’t about not going to hell, it’s about not spending one miserable day away from home! The good news of the gospel however is that we don’t have to play the would you rather game with God. We can have a personal, intimate, relationship with the creator of the universe. We don’t have to be His doorkeeper, we are invited in, and not as a servant, but as a child of the One True King! What about you? Do you desire to be a doorkeeper in the house of God? Take heart, if you have a relationship with Jesus you have something even better. You have a seat at His table!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Heavenly Father, open my eyes to see the gloriousness of who You are! Lord, help me to never lose the awe of knowing You! One day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere, but out of Your great love You offer so much more than that! Thank You for the free gift of salvation and the opportunity to dwell in Your presence forever! In Jesus name, amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Psalm 130:5- I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope.