Lent Day 12

Scripture: Psalm 84

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,    

Lord Almighty!

2 My soul yearns, 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 have her young—

a place near your altar,    

Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;    

they are ever praising you.[c]

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,    

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka,    

they make it a place of springs;    

the autumn rains also cover it with pools.[d]

7 They go from strength to strength,    

till each appears before God in Zion.

8 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;    

listen to me, God of Jacob.

9 Look on our shield,[e] O God;    

look with favor on your anointed one.

10 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.

11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;    

the Lord bestows favor and honor;

no good thing does he withhold    

from those whose walk is blameless.

12 Lord Almighty,    

blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Today's Meditation: 

This Psalmist is doing more than just singing praises to the Lord Almighty. He is saying how his soul yearns and his very being cries out for the living God. He notices that the little sparrow has a home nearer God’s altar. He says he’d rather be a lowly servant in the house of God than to dwell with the wicked. All of this tells us he is longing to know God better and to be able to draw near to him. How fortunate we are to have the Holy Spirit, God with us, all the time.

May we continue to draw near to God, and thanks be to God that Jesus came to help us in our journey.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, we are so thankful that you came to us as a human being, that you left us with the Holy Spirit and that we might always have you near. Blessed are we who trust in you. Amen

Kandi Ray