In studying Psalm 84 we found the psalmist had a heart cry for an encounter with the living God. Listen to his description: “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.”
Do you feel the emotion packed into these verses: yearning, fainting, heart and flesh crying out. Have you ever felt this while spending time in God’s presence?
These emotions reminded him of sparrows and swallows building their nests somewhere near God’s altar. How appropriate he thought. These birds made their home near the altar. They’ll care for their young there. Imagining them singing, he thought, how happy they must be. What a beautiful word picture of how he felt crying out for the living God. How neat, having your home so close to God’s altar.
It is thought David wrote this Psalm while hiding during his son Absalom’s rebellion. He remembered regular trips to the tent where the ark was, and after spending time in God’s presence, returning to his palace. His palace was beautiful, spacious, comfortable, and luxurious. But he wasn’t thinking of those things. He envied the nest of the sparrows and swallows, close to God’s altar.
He also envied the privileges of the priest. “Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.”
Does your heart and mind resonate with this picture? Does this describe your inner yearnings? Do you ever cry out from your heart like that for the living God?
