“Cry Out for the Living God” (Ps 84)

“How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (vs1-2).

When my soul is right, it thirsts for the Living God and desires to know, serve, and do His will. When I'm wrong, I'm lusting after this present world, willing to hide Christ in order to have the pleasure of sin, and I'm desirous of my own will and kingdom. But, the God-given and God-honoring heart LOVES Christ and delights in His will. We are not bound by the allure of anything else – not wife, husband, children, jobs, prospects, or ambitions. All of these things, when the heart is right, are SECOND to God and REASONS that we praise Him, for what He's done. We love the Creator and never worship the creation.

God is never to be the cold object of past affections. When things are well, we rejoice before His face with all that we have,we desire His power and fellowship, and we know that He does good only, whether He gives or takes away: we must have Him.

The result of dwelling in God's house - communing and walking with Him and being made aware of His beauty in the power of the Spirit - is that we'll continue unto the end (vs3-4). He says, “Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will still be praising You”. He strengthens us to praise His grace into the limitless ions of eternity. We get WHAT WE NEED by dwelling with Him, so we dwell, like a man opens the refrigerator door in order to eat. He goes where food is knowing he'll be filled.

Each traveler on this pilgrims way who obtains mercy and grace from God actually overcomes by faith and heavenly power, making it to the end (vs5-7). He says, “Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Tears, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion”. The race is not easy, but all who dwell in God walk with Him willingly, conquer sins and troubles by faith, and bring fruit in the earth because of the help of heaven, whereby faith meets with unmerited favor... free grace... and produces submission, love for Christ, and humility amidst the Valley of Tears and anguish that we suffer. We are not conquered by sins and lusts, but we DO THE CONQUERING by faith and power, for we're kept and preserved for salvation to come (1 Pet 1:5).

Hear us, Oh God. We want to be heard: it is not enough to know You theoretically or by word only, but we would know Your power experientially, by revelation, and by personal transformation in saving grace (vs8-9). He says, “O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah O God, behold our shield, and look upon the face of Your anointed”. We know WHO You are, and we know what we want, which is to be with You, on Your side forever! Don't leave us to dead knowledge, like Balaam. This we pray. Don't let us praise Your Name without actually TASTING and seeing that You are good.

Yes, the Lord will give, so we come to Him, to dwell with Him, so we can receive the glory that we desire, the victory and the conquest (vs10-11)! He says, “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. 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.” What a day it will be when this world is finished, and we've entered our rewarded rest in Christ. It is coming, because God gives it, not merely the grace that we need, but the glory that comes from grace bring us through to the end. We WANT this, so we come to God. Peter said, “If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious” (1 Pet 2:3-4). It is one thing to know there's heaven to be gained, but it's different when you personally must have it on God's terms, which is by His power.

Here is the conclusion: we are blessed for trusting Christ with heaven to come, power over trials, and the abundance of real joy (vs12). He says, “O Lord of [armies], blessed is the man who trusts in You!” God has blessed us to be His people, and the world isn't our home because God is bringing us somewhere better. He's calling us in from the storm of His wrath to the safety of His paradise. Be thankful that He can be entreated and will hear you. Be thankful that He bids you into His house, and He receives all who come sincerely. Be thankful that the GRACE you need to get glory is free, that faith produces power, and that heaven itself is on your side, causing the bitter to become sweet.