¹How lovely are Your dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ²My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.

Those who love the Lord want more of His presence in their lives both now and to come. There is no limit to quenching the thirst for union with Him in whose image we were created. Emptied of our pride and rebellion, praise and joy spring forth, and there will be an eternal desire for more. Because God is infinite, we will spend eternity discovering more and more of His glory.

This psalm gives us words to express our emotion of jubilation in contemplation of the Lord. Poetry finds its most significant expression in attempts to describe the Lord. The presence of God is termed His “dwelling place” (vs. 1), and so our desire for the Lord stirs up our yearning to be in “the courts of the Lord” (vs. 2). We have seen this thirst for God in Psalm 42:1-2, 63:1. The anticipation of that future entrance into God’s glory stimulates us to sing. We think of the apostle Paul and Silas, who, when beaten and tossed into prison for preaching the gospel, were found “praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them…” (Acts 16:25).

No jail nor persecution can stifle the praise of those who yearn for the Lord, who is the living God active in our lives. This is not an esoteric joy hidden too deep for outward experience, but the psalmist inspires us to experience joy with “heart and … flesh” (vs. 2b).

The joy of anticipation can be seen in the diverse use of God’s names and epithets: God, Lord of hosts, Lord God of Hosts, living God, My King, My God, God in Zion, God of Jacob, Our shield, Lord God, Sun, Shield. Each carries a subtle but profound nuance into the nature and character of God, insights the psalmist has come to enjoy. And each deserves meditation in its own right and provokes praise in those who long for Him (vs. 4).

God blesses those who long for Him (vs. 4). The connotation of the word “bless” is to desire and act for the well-being of another in a way that brings joy. To dwell in God’s presence (both in the future and even now through the eyes and heart of faith) brings spiritual well-being in an otherwise turbulent world (vs. 4)—that is a blessing. The psalmist describes our earthly travels as passing through the Valley of Baca (vs. 6), which means the valley of weeping. Only those who yearn for God more than relief from hardship can understand the joy of which the psalmist writes. We can’t help but remember the valley of the shadow David wrote about in his beloved poem:

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (Ps. 23:4)

God blesses with strength those who long for Him (vss. 5, 7). Strength to endure, to have the victory of joy that keeps us walking faithfully toward the one whom our souls long for. This is like the blessing of rain: to the non-farmer, it is a hindrance and inconvenience, but to the farmer, it createscauses life-sustaining growth of the produce. Interestingly, the one who yearns for the Lord is described as one “in whose heart are the highways to Zion” (vs. 5b); they are ever striving on the pathway to the fullness of the Lord’s presence. The journey here on earth brings blessing now, and our heavenly destination will immerse us in eternal blessing. How fitting for this psalm of praise and trust to end with, “O Lord of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You” (vs. 12)!

Many a believer has found wonderful meditation on the poetic verses:

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. (Ps. 84:10)

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. (Ps 84:11)

The requests of the godly person who yearns for the Lord and rests in His promises are sincere: “Hear my prayer” (vs. 8), “Look upon the face of Your anointed” (vs. 9). Indeed, our joy in the Lord’s presence does not eliminate our need for His help, but provides us with assurance that we can go to Him for help, to experience His blessing in the practical and pressing needs of our lives.

Lord, help me to dwell on You, front and center in my mind and contemplation, that my life would be infused with Your joy, no matter the hardship that comes my way.