My Soul Longs for the Courts of the Lord
84 To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!
10 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.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ps 84:title–12). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
Abba,
What is there to envy when we have been enraptured by your majesty; when our hearts have been captivated by your glory; when our yearning seeks only the superior delights of your name!
BETTER IS ONE DAY in your courts and a thousand elsewhere! There is is, Abba. Compared to You, there is nothing worth pining after. You are the sum of all things!
Protect our hearts, Oh tender Shepherd! Guard with care the hearts entrusted to you that we might not abandon delight in you for that of lesser things. Protect our heart from the treacherous envy, jealousy, and discontent that flings itself upon us and threatens to rob us supreme joy in Your name!
Fill our hearts with delight in You! Make our cup to overrun with pleasures in Your presence! Bestow upon us an insatiable longing for more at Your feet!
Fill us with wary apprehension when envy, jealousy, and discontent present themselves to us. Grant us strength to cast them out as we turn our gaze upon You and are satisfied!
May we boldly sing….BETTER IS ONE DAY IN YOUR COURTS THAN A THOUSAND ELSEWHERE!
Amen. Amen!
84 To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!
10 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.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ps 84:title–12). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
Abba,
What is there to envy when we have been enraptured by your majesty; when our hearts have been captivated by your glory; when our yearning seeks only the superior delights of your name!
BETTER IS ONE DAY in your courts and a thousand elsewhere! There is is, Abba. Compared to You, there is nothing worth pining after. You are the sum of all things!
Protect our hearts, Oh tender Shepherd! Guard with care the hearts entrusted to you that we might not abandon delight in you for that of lesser things. Protect our heart from the treacherous envy, jealousy, and discontent that flings itself upon us and threatens to rob us supreme joy in Your name!
Fill our hearts with delight in You! Make our cup to overrun with pleasures in Your presence! Bestow upon us an insatiable longing for more at Your feet!
Fill us with wary apprehension when envy, jealousy, and discontent present themselves to us. Grant us strength to cast them out as we turn our gaze upon You and are satisfied!
May we boldly sing….BETTER IS ONE DAY IN YOUR COURTS THAN A THOUSAND ELSEWHERE!
Amen. Amen!