Key Scripture: Psalm 84:2, 12 "My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; (v. 2); O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you! (v. 12)"

Read Psalm 84. Psalm 84, appropriately called the Pilgrim Psalm, reflects on the pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem, where God's people will once again worship and sacrifice as they did in previous years. No doubt, the Psalmist remembers the destruction of the temple and reminisces fondly on its earlier days of glory and splendor. He longs for this again and finds extraordinary delight in worshipping God in His temple—the most important place for God's people and the symbol of His presence among them. While the Psalmist longs for and journeys to the place of worship, God, Himself, remains the ultimate object of his joy. Joy is found in the very presence of the living God.

"Blessed" is used three times throughout the psalm (vv. 4, 5, 12) to depict the one who trusts and places himself under the protection of the Lord. Even amidst the valley of Baka (weeping), the pilgrim will prevail and arrive before God in His temple. Verse 10 makes a startling comparison. A mere 24 hours (one day) in God's courts is better than a thousand "elsewhere." Friend, have you been "elsewhere"? I can think of some pretty nice "elsewhere's." But remarkably, the Psalmist cannot. In all the world, nowhere compares to being in the "courts of God." Moreover, the Psalmist would rather be a low-ranking doorkeeper (letting people in and out) than any other esteemed position the world offers. All of this is meant to convey the Psalmist's greatest desire—namely, to be in the presence of God with fellow citizens of the kingdom.

Furthermore, the Psalmist is wise enough to stay away from the wicked (v. 10) and informed enough to know God is the source of illumination and protection (v. 11) and withholds "no good thing" from those who follow Him. The Psalmist knows God—and knows Him well. This is his joy, knowing the living God and being near to Him. "He who has God and everything else has no more than he who has God only." A. W. Tozer