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.

Psalm 84:1-7

I've read alot lately of my soul yearning, fainting for God's presence.  Yes!  I understand and concur!  "My heart and flesh cry out..."  Lately, my physical body has been weary and drained.  I have been pleading to the Lord for healing and strength.  But also, my "heart" -- my soul, my spirit, my emotions, that which makes me "me" -- has been weary and saddened over what I see around me.  People are causing one another pain where there used to be love.  Circumstances of grief, poverty and pain abound, even in our own community.  Plus, I am always crying out and asking God for clarity for my own life's purpose and calling.

Psalm 42 reminds me, "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?  Put your trust in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God."

It's a declaration to praise, a decision to trust.  God has proven Himself both worthy and faithful, and so my heart and my flesh yearn for His courts and His presence = the Living God!  He is a living source of strength, hope and power.  Romans 8:11 says that the same power which raised Christ from the dead is living and active IN me!  Wow!  Praise the Lord!

Verses 2-3 of Psalm 84 paint a picture of a safe place, a safe haven next to God's altar.  Those who dwell in God's house are blessed and always praising Him.  How could they not be?

When I realize that God is my strength (as verses 5-7 declare) and I seek Him to be my source and my guide, then I am comforted; I am blessed.

I "set my heart on pilgrimage."  What does that mean?  To me, it means I choose that the path of my life is directed by the hand of the Lord.  My heart is His -- my passion, my goals, my dreams, my ideals.  We live in a fallen world, and therefore, during my pilgrimage I will experience times of testing, trials, desert lands.  When hard times come, I will shed tears and experience deep sorrow.

AND YET, when my heart is set on the Lord, those tears He will use to make even the desert land fertile!  The place of my deepest wounding can be used by God to be a fertile place of ministry -- to bless me, to bless others and to glorify Him.

Psalm 84:7 declares that I will go from "strength to strength."  Truly, that is not a picture of most people's lives, is it?  More often, we see a roller coaster of highs and lows, days when we are strong and days when we feel weak, seasons of triumph and seasons of defeat.

I submit to you that IF our eyes and our hearts are focused on Jesus, IF our feet are set on the pilgrimage of being his disciple, IF we are intentional in choosing to worship Him and to spend time in His presence, THEN even those times that appear negative or weak or destructive will be turned for our good and for God's glory.

We will move from strength to strength until we stand before our Maker and hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."   (Matthew 25:21 ,23)

God will renew our strength and continue to conform us to the likeness of Jesus.  Strength to strength.  Amen!

For further study: Romans 8:28 ; Hebrews 12:1-3 ; Genesis 50:20 ; Proverbs 4:20-27 ; Isaiah 40:31 ; Psalm 61 & 63