How Lovely!

Being with a particular someone is a treasured part of life; actually, just being near that particular someone can be precious! The writer of Psalm 84 writes, "How lovely are Your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts! My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD" (Psalm 84:1-2a, NASB). Geographic locations can distance family and friends; God and man are distanced, however, by different means. The Jewish people eagerly made pilgrimage to Jerusalem each year where the temple was located - the place that represented God's Presence, His dwelling place. How marvelous we no longer need seek God's Presence in a particular place; we draw near His Presence by means of the redemptive and finished work of Jesus Christ, God's Son! "How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion!" (V.5, NASB). An undivided heart, one that adores and sings of its Redeemer and He Who dwells therein. Oh, yes, Lord ... how lovely is Your dwelling place!