I'd rather be here.....

It's summer vacation time.  People are on the move.  Summer in Texas can be pretty hot, so water sports are common.  With swimming and boating on area lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico being just a few hours away, it isn't uncommon to find a large portion of the population traveling to the beach. 

Having made many of these trips over the years, I am always interested in staying in hotels we have never stayed in, mainly to see the decor and enjoy the amenities of a new place.  I have even been overheard saying things like, "I could live in a place like this."

To switch gears a bit, one of the things we have been involved in over the years is the estate sale business.  We actually contract with families to liquidate the entire contents of a house, usually after the death of the occupant.  Needless to say, we have seen some places that were fancy and elaborate, and some places that were just the opposite.  But I find myself, after working in a home that has all the "nicer" things, and located in perfect surroundings, saying again, "I could live in a place like this."

David, in Psalm  84, was feeling the same thing.  He was so excited about where he was because he says, "I'd rather be right here for one day, than anywhere else for a thousand days."

David had started in the early verses of Psalm 84 with a phrase which used some terminology we may not have heard from other biblical writers.  Look at verses 1 and 2:

"How lovely is your dwelling place,  Lord Almighty!   My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. "

David was so pleased to be in the dwelling place of God that he says that is the source of blessing for his life.  He even attributes his strength as a blessing because he knows it is from God.  This, then, is the reason David makes his proclamation:

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.  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. Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.   (verses 10-12)

For David, and for us, we should see the desire of God to have us in his presence.  David recognized that and the importance of confidently trusting God.  He is the example for those who become so wrapped up in this world, they have no time for God.  He is also the example for those who are not totally and completely devoted to living for God.

David knew one day dwelling with God was better than a thousand days elsewhere.  The real message for us is how much God is longing to dwell inside us, living in the hearts of those who trust in Him. 

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