Encouragement

Psalm 84:1-2,5-7,10: "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 . . . . Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere . . . . Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they will make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength till each appears before God in Zion."

What a great word of encouragement is found here for those who travel down the road of discouragement. Here we find that those who passionately long for the presence and intimacy of God are able to tie together His offerings of strength with each perilous experience that comes their way. As they encounter the deep valleys of despair, they through the power of God's presence make it a "place of springs."

The hope to which we profess in the power of God and His coming day of salvation must be our strength because this temporal life is perilous, filled with the pain of loss, sickness, and death. We must remember that we are on a pilgrimage through this life to our true home, in the presence of the Lord. We look forward to His eternal protection from all that hurts us now. We long for His dwelling place, for one day there is better than a thousand elsewhere.