Last time we looked at Psalm 73, and learned that we must distance ourselves from the idea that somehow, unbelievers, who seem to prosper while we suffer, have it better than us and we must fight this sinful bent of our hearts by drawing near to God, indeed, verse 28 of Psalm 73 says: "But for me it is good to be near God..."
So then, we come to the next step, first we must draw away, and now we must draw near. But we are here on earth, and He is in heaven. I am not suggesting of course that the Almighty God of the universe is unable to reach us here, indeed, He is all-present, and He protects us personally as our Mighty Father, but often we do not feel His closeness as we must to get away from the frame of mind in the early parts of Psalm 73 ("For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.")
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So how then must this be done? How are we to draw nearer to our Father who dwells in heaven? Psalm 84, in one verse (though I will be pulling from the whole Psalm) tells us the answer, and I want you to listen Christians, for this is the true hope of our souls, and unbelievers this joy could be yours if you draw near to the Throne of Grace!
Psalm 84:1 "How lovely is Your dwelling place, O LORD of Hosts!"
Now then, you may ask "But how does this help when I am feeling the weight of this world?" Well, what is the best way to get yourself hungry? By thinking of food of course! And what about getting thirsty? One needs only to picture fresh water to feel the need to drink it. So what we think about most is what we will desire, and that is why we must turn our minds to heaven.
"How lovely is Your dwelling place"? Oh that I had this kind of mind, bent towards the heaven where my God dwells! Can't you see Christian? This is the mindset we must strive for, for the mind that is on eternity, will think of eternal things.
Recall to mind the conclusion of the Psalmist in chapter 73:18-20 "Truly You set them in slippery places; [that is, the wicked] You make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O LORD, when Your rouse yourself, You despise them as phantoms."
We must not envy the wicked of what they have because what they have and desire to have is temporary. Let me say again, what the wicked have and desire is temporary.
We, as Christians are called to forsake the temporary in order to embrace the eternal (and I don't mean that in some kind of philosophical or otherwise humanistic enlightenment sort of garbage), we are called with an upward calling, to lay up treasures in heaven, and not on earth (Matt. 6:19-20)
So now, we come to the real meat of the matter. IF we are called to lay aside the temporary in order to obtain the eternal (which we are promised upon coming to faith in Christ), then we must turn our minds eye upwards to where our God dwells, and this is the purpose of the Psalmist in Psalm 84.
Psalm 84:2 "My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh* sing for joy to the living God."
This is what we must strive for... Can you say this with an honest heart right now Christian? Do you have this longing, nay, this fainting joy to see you Father in the place where He dwells?
Here is the crux of the matter, and this must be our heart in order for us to crush the sin of doubting our Heavenly Father's goodness: Psalm 84:10-12
"For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
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 bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O LORD of Hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in You!" (Emphasis added)
So then... "All in vain have I kept my heart clean"? No! No! You must never think that Christian, for "No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly"!
This is where we must be found, and because our hearts are sinful, and we are prone to wander, we must bask in the grace of prayer and bathe in the warmth of our Savior's great light, He will not forsake us in our troubles, and He has promised to bring us home to Him, spotless, blameless we will be before Him one day, so set your mind on heaven, and run with endurance, do not let anything stop you, or entangle your mind with the lies that the Psalmist in chapter 73 was tempted to believe.
Recall to mind this parting thought, of both the Psalmist and me: Psalm 73:26 "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever."
Hear those words Christian, and you will walk through fire and Death without fear, for God will bring you through. The wicked may seem temporarily to have freedom, but they are the ones in chains, it is us, those saved by the Cross and Blood of Jesus Christ, who are truly free. Free now to run towards heaven, the lovely dwelling place of our Lord.
I would rather be His doorkeeper...
--The Scribe
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