Read
Psalm 84
Consider
Psalm 84 is titled The Pearl of Psalms among the Jewish. The Psalmist described his desire for God as a pilgrim. First, it reflected his longing for the temple and the privilege of worshipping in God’s house. Then, the pilgrim’s journey reveals his trust in God through his prayers and how God gave him blessings. Pilgrimages to the tabernacles were a great feature of Jewish life. What about the pilgrimage in your life? Theologians used to say; that if the Ps 23 is the most popular, the Ps 103 the most joyful, the Ps. 119 the most deeply experimental, the Ps 51 the most lamenting, then this one is one of the sweetest of the Psalms of Peace. Psalm 84 illustrates the joyful desire and attitudes of his pilgrimage.
However, not all of us have the pilgrims’ joyful excitement and anticipation when coming to God’s house. Week after week, month after month, what is your expectation when coming to worship? Have you discovered that there is a change in your heart?
Rev. Amy Yu
Pray
Dear Lord, God of all creation, may you examine my attitude and intentions of coming to the house of the Lord. Forgive me when we did not come with a genuine desire to engage with my mind, heart, and soul. Forgive me for treating the church as a place to satisfy my needs rather than seeking to honour you. May you open my eyes to see your goodness, love, and glory and reveal that I need you. Give me the desire to glorify you more than anything else. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your crucifixion, resurrection and second return. May you give us the church to continue to gather and have the vision to honour you before your return.
In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
Diving Deeper
Can you summarize each outline with ONE word?
(v. 1-4) =
(v. 5-7) =
(v. 8-9) =
(v. 10-12) =
Take time to reflect on the following questions:
When was the last time that you felt the longing to come to church and have the thought that it is a privilege to worship there (v. 1-4)?
When was the recent time that you had to make a sacrifice to attend worship (v.8-9)?
When was the last time you prayed and truly felt God’s presence (v.8-9)?
When was the most recent time you felt the blessings through worshiping God (v. 10-12)? Why?
A true worshipper comes with a true desire to see God. So what has been robbing your joy to worship?
How can we live closer WITH GOD in our lives?
How are we being TRANSFORMED to be more like Christ?
How is the Holy Spirit empowering us to imitate Christ in what we DO this week?