Psalm 84

How lovely is your dwelling place,

   Lord Almighty!

Better 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.

- Psalm 84:1,10

Some of my favorite praise and worship songs, beginning way back in the 1980s, are the songs based on God’s Word.

Not only do I get to sing God’s Word, but it also helps me memorize God’s Word. Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 100, Psalm 118:24, Psalm 139, and 1 John 4:7-8 are a few examples.

In 1995, Matt Redman wrote and recorded a worship/praise song based on Psalm 84. It quickly became one of my favorites. I encourage you to look it up and listen to it, but here are a portion of the lyrics:

How lovely is your dwelling place

Oh, Lord Almighty

For my soul longs and even faints for You

For here my heart is satisfied

Within Your presence

I sing beneath the shadow of Your wings

Better is one day in Your courts

Better is one day in Your house

Better is one day in Your courts

Than thousands elsewhere

One thing I ask and I would seek

To see Your beauty

To find You in the place Your glory dwells

- Better is One Day, Matt Redman, 1995

Let’s stop and reflect a moment on the Psalmist’s words…

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.

This is not merely referring to a physical place, but a spiritual place, as well. God’s presence with us in our everyday life is, by far, better than anything the world has to offer. As the Psalmist writes, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” In other words, I’d rather face every difficult trial and situation, as long as God is with me, than be given the best things this world has to offer, without Him. Matt Redman wrote, “My soul longs and even faints for you, for here [in You], my heart is satisfied. One thing I ask and I would seek, to see Your beauty in the place Your Glory dwells.”

Friends, God’s glory and His presence is in, and with, each and every one of us who have put our faith and trust in Jesus. God’s glory dwells in us, and we have the privilege of seeing His beauty manifested in us, and through us.

May we delight in God’s presence and may we sing His song beneath the shadow of His wings, to a world that desperately needs Him.

Pastor Ken

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