August 27, 2006am      Better is one day in your court.      Psalm 84

“ A Place to Live!” 

By Ronald E. George Jr. at the Fayetteville Baptist Church

   It is remarkable to think that God has given us a partnership with him in directing the course of human events. It is extraordinary to realize that our prayer can change events and circumstances in the world around us. But what is just as remarkable is that when we pray, we change. More often than not we become the answer to our own prayers as we open up ourselves to God in prayer.   -- John Guest in Only a Prayer Away. Christianity Today, Vol. 33, no. 15.

Scripture Text:   Psalm 84:1 (NIV) How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young-- a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca , they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.  7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion . 8 Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob. Selah 9 Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one. 10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. 12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

·         By Faith we see and we believe that the Lord is and that He lives among us. 

·         By Love we long to be with Him and to have Him in our lives.

·         By Sight we see the birds, the sparrow and the swallow,  of the air that have found a home and a nest near the Lord of all.  God cares for them as well as all of His creation.

·         By Heart we have experienced the happiness / blessings of the Lord. 

·         By Experience we know that we have been strengthened by the Lord to do his work.  By experience we know that He provides what we need day by day.

·         By Prayer we humbly ask that the Lord listen to us and allows us to come into His presence and into His house. 

·         By Hope we ask that the Lord prosper us and protect us from the fiery darts of the wicked. 

·         By Common Sense and Reason we realize that one day with God is better than a thousand elsewhere. 

·         By Choice we decide to walk with the Lord and to trust our lives with Him.  We have determined that we will give our lives to Him who gave his all for us. We have given our lives, our destiny, our future, our hope, and our soul to the One who will be our shield, our sun, and our soul. 

What is your choice?  What is your decision?  Will God be your choice?  Will God be your one and only God?  Will He be your all in all?  Will God be your dwelling place?  What about the imperfections and problems?  I believe that all of these belong to God.  He invites you and me to share in them with Him.