Psalm 84

There are so many blessings from dwelling in the house of the Lord...

 

Psalm 84

 ¹ How lovely is Your tabernacle,
         O LORD of hosts!
 ² My soul longs, yes, even faints
         For the courts of the LORD;
         My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
       
 ³ Even the sparrow has found a home,
         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.
 ⁴ Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
         They will still be praising You.  Selah
       
 ⁵ Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
         Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
 ⁶ As they pass through the Valley of Baca (weeping),
         They make it a spring;
         The rain also covers it with pools (blessings). ⁷ They go from strength to strength;
         Each one appears before God in Zion.^{[b]
       
 8} O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
         Give ear, O God of Jacob!  Selah
 ⁹ O God, behold our shield,
         And look upon the face of Your anointed.
       
 ¹⁰ For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
         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 will give grace and glory;
         No good thing will He withhold
         From those who walk uprightly.
       
 ¹² O LORD of hosts,
         Blessed is the man who trusts in You!

There are so many wonderful truths in this psalm but verse 6 really stuck out to me and was such an encouragement... While going through a valley of weeping, sorrow, loss or grieving, because of the Lord, it turns into a spring by the Lord raining blessings upon it all. His presence brings healing and does the impossible in our hearts when we turn to Him.  Some of my sweetest times I've had with the Lord has been in the house of the Lord.  Whether in moments of quietness in prayer, undistracted worship, or the teaching of the Word, He faithfully meets with me and restores my soul in some of my lowest moments.  As long as you are truly entering the house of the Lord and not the "house of the people", it should be a safe haven for you to enter into the presence of the Lord. I've been to both, and they are vastly different!  Always turn to the Lord and find refuge in Him.  He turns our mourning into dancing!

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
         You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness..." ~Psalm 30:11