Psalm 84 was written by a member of the Korah family - a descendant of the Temple choir members who had been appointed by King David years before. This Psalm may have been written while this person was in exile from Jerusalem. It was certainly written in difficult circumstances. It speaks from the heart of someone with deep hurt - deep longing - a heart crying out to God. In that way it touches our heart - touches what it means to live life - life full of the experiences we all go through - to that life in faith - in touch with the living God.

That’s our focus as we meditate on this Psalm today. The tremendous insight here into what we all go through in life and how to go through it with God.

As we read, please notice the way we’ve arranged the text. There are three main thoughts in this Psalm. You’ll notice that we’ve grouped the verses according to these thoughts. Within each group of verses we’ve highlighted the key verse - the main thought of each of these sections.

Psalm 84: How lovely are Your dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. The bird also has found a house, 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. How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You.

How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion! Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring; the early rain also covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength, every one of them appears before God in Zion. O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob!

Behold our shield, O God, and look upon the face of Your anointed. For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of host, how blessed is the man who trust in You!

In verse 1 to 4 the main though is given in verse 4: How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!

Not too many years ago you could come up here and look down towards San Jose and there was a kind of brown haze - smog - down in that direction. We used to call it “little Los Angeles.” But, these days - unless it’s a really clear day - the whole Bay Area has a haze over it. The Bay Area has 7 million people living in it. Its become congested. We need to come up here - back to nature - to get away - to rest.

The Psalmist writes, How lovely are Your dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord - the sanctuary of the Lord - His place of peace - of rest from everything outside. The dwelling place of God is lovely - a place to be longed for.

The issues of life are not new. The technology is different. Try explaining the “gentech” industry to someone living 2,500 plus years ago - as in the case of this Psalm writer. But, the issues of life are the same: security - purpose and significance in life - our mortality. Who we are spiritually. Our relationship with God. What brings true peace in our hearts.

In verse 3 there’s a beautiful image. A sparrow ends her search and finds a place for a home. A swallow finds a safe place to build her nest - a place of security to raise her family. Few things in life that are more tender than a caring mother bird and the innocence of helpless young. It’s a picture of our lives - our longing for the security of God’s presence - His peace in our hearts.

In the days when Psalm 84 was written, God’s house was the Temple in Jerusalem. Within the temple was the Holy of Holies - the most sacred place on earth - where God’s presence and glory was revealed. No Israelite dared to enter the Holy of Holies except the High Priest. And, the High Priest could only enter once a year - and then only after a extensive ritual of purification and preparation.

Within the Israelite mind and heart there was an awareness that here is the dwelling place of God. A place to come to - a place to come away from life out there - to come with sacrifices and awe - mysterious and separate. But, beautiful because God dwelt there. God’s dwelling - His presence - made it lovely.

In the New Testament - in 1 Corinthians 6 - the Apostle Paul speaks of our bodies as the “temple” of the Holy Spirit who lives within us. (1 Corinthians 6:19) Its an amazing truth. When we come to God in faith - receiving Jesus as our Savior - God comes to dwell within us. He makes us to be lovely dwelling places of His presence.

Let me put this another way. Do ever get somewhere and forget why you went there? We run and run and we lose track of why we’re running. Stressed - we live life with the gas pedal pushed through the floor. Why do we drive ourselves like that? And, we worry. We’re anxious. What will happen? Will I lose control?

Do you remember what Jesus told His disciples about sparrows? Jesus pointed out that in the market 5 sparrows were sold for two cents. Sparrows were cheap - almost worthless. But, Jesus said, God knows when a sparrow falls. You - disciples - us - are worth more to God than a sparrow. (Matthew 10:29-31; Luke 12:6)

When we come to Christ - and open our lives to His dwelling - His presence and working in us - those of us who often think of ourselves as sparrows - find security - fulfillment - usefulness. God creates loveliness in us.

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) That’s God’s invitation to us. The only place of rest is in God - opening our lives up to His presence and work within.

The second thought is in verses 5 to 8. The summary is in verse 5: How blessed is the man whose strength is in You

Someone has said, “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” What do we do when the knot slips? Consider this question: When you get into the hard struggles and issues of life have you found your strength to go through in God?

Verse 6 says, “Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring.” It’s the same image as Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” (Psalm 23:4)

The “valley of Baca” is symbolic. A “baca” is a balsam tree or an aspen - a tree that grows in very dry desolate places - a place of great thirst - of emptiness and weeping. Through this valley the pilgrims travel on their way to the dwelling place of God. Its symbolic of our journey through the worst of life.

Notice three things: First - God sends the early rain and the pilgrims receive its blessing. Blessing, here in the original Hebrew, can be translated “pools.” Pools of water that collect the falling rain - blessings - oasis in the dry times of life.

Pilgrims would travel from one oasis to the next - camping at each - drinking deeply of the water - gathering strength and relying on their gathered strength through the next dry segment of the journey. As verse 7 says, “They go from strength to strength.”

Its God’s strength poured out which keep us going through the dry times. We can’t do this for ourselves no matter how hard we try. But God will, as we trust Him - giving up control of our lives and circumstances to Him - relying only on Him for our strength.

Second, notice verse 7: “Every one of the pilgrims appears before God in Zion” - God’s dwelling place.

This is the wonderful promise that Paul writes of in Romans 8: “What can separate us from the love of Christ?” Tribulation - distress - persecution - famine - nakedness - peril - sword - death - life - angels - principalities - things present - things to come - powers - height - depth - or any other created thing? It’s a complete list covering every possible struggle in our lives. The conclusion? “Nothing shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39)

God doesn’t loose us along the way to Heaven. He doesn’t save us and then leave us on our own to make it or fail. In Him - because of His strength - we’ll get there.

Third: Notice in verse 6 the Psalmist says, “They - the pilgrims - make it a spring.” The presence of the pilgrims - as they journey on the highway - their presence brings refreshment to others.

Do you know people like this? These are people that we look forward to being around. Because of the work of God in their lives they turn sorrow into joy - discouragement into boldness. They’re not stuck on the negative. They’re focused on the positive. They inspire us.

In the dry times - as we learn to rely on God’s strength - He gives to us this ministry - a ministry to those who are sorrowing - in despair - discouraged. People who need to see in us the strength of God at work which upholds and sustains. And, isn’t it amazing - even when we are dry - when we see God working through us - we are strengthened.

In verse 8, the Psalmist prays, “O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob!” “God make it so. Teach me to be this kind of person.”

“How blessed is the man whose strength is in You” - blessed and a blessing.

The third thought is in verses 9 to 12. Verse 12 is the summary: How blessed is the man who trust in You!

Recently I read a story about a group of scientists and botanists who were exploring the Swiss Alps in search of new species of flowers. One day - looking through binoculars - they noticed a flower of such rarity and beauty that its value to science was incalculable. But the flower was growing deep in a ravine with cliffs on both sides. To get the flower someone had to be lowered over the cliff on a rope.

There was a young boy watching nearby. The scientists told him they’d pay him if he would agree to be lowered over the cliff and bring back the flower. The boy looked down the steep cliff and said, “I’ll be back in a minute.” A few minutes later he came back followed by an elderly man. Approaching the botanist, the boy said, “I’ll go over that cliff if this man holds the rope. He’s my dad.”

Two reasons to trust in God our Heavenly Father. First, verse 9 declares that God is our “shield.”

Vainly we try to provide for our own security - through education, vocation, IRA’s, CD’s, real estate, maybe even Social Security. But, what real security is there in life when our health fails? When we no longer have a job? When our families come apart at the seems? Or, someone we love wounds us deeply?

Job - tormented by Satan - Job - having lost everything - sitting in the city dump - finding relief by scraping his boils with broken pottery - even then God was protecting him - placing limits on what Satan could do. So that as Job trusted God - the unsurpassed greatness of God’s power and love were demonstrated in his protection, restoration, and blessing.

Nothing penetrates God. Nothing touches the lives of His people unless He allows it. God will not allow us to be destroyed There is a point beyond which Satan cannot go.

Verse 10 says that one day with God is better than a thousand days any place else. Its better to be a humble doorkeeper in God’s house than to have all the pleasures of the world. All that the world offers is worthless compared to the salvation and protection that God gives to His people.

Second, we trust God because He is our provider.

Verse 11 declares: The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and honor.

The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:21: “He - God - made Him - Jesus - who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Just let the weight of that sit there for a moment. Sometimes we rush by this truth. As Christians it becomes familiar to us. On the cross - every evil - ugly - disgusting - sinful thing that we have done was placed by God on Jesus. He is the sun that dispels the darkness of sin in our lives.

On the cross - Jesus took our sin on Himself so that the penalty - the payment for our sin - the eternal death that should rightfully be ours - was forgiven through His sacrifice. God shields us from Satan and eternal death.

God pours out His love towards us. So that, rather than being separated from God by our sin, God - through Jesus - has restored our relationship with Him. That’s grace - God’s undeserved favor. And, to us He gives the glory of His name. Imagine that we should be called Christians - “little Christs” Literally: “little anointed ones of God.”

And finally - verse 11: No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. God takes care of His own.

Psalm 84 is not something for us read and feel all wonderful on a Sunday morning. Psalm 84 is for Monday - and the week beyond. This is for the problems each of face - at work - at home - the deep things of our hearts. Blessed is the man - or woman - who dwells with God - who finds his strength in God - who trust in God.