Seventh Day Baptist
Christian Education Council
PO BOX 1678
Janesville, WI 53547
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! Selah
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.
O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!
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!
(ESV)
—Psalm 84
by: Cheri Appel.
The Valley of Baca was likely an area just outside of Jerusalem, so named for its “weeping” Baca trees. Similar to cherry trees, they “weep” a gummy substance through the season, but eventually produce a wonderful fruit. This beautiful psalm speaks of a sorrowful time that one walks through in life, requiring complete dependency on God’s strength. Afterwards, the faithful come out of their valley revealing new wisdom, strength, patience, and divine fruit gained by persevering and trusting the Lord of Hosts. The Almighty’s praises are sung as the singer rejoices in joining Elohim in Zion—the glorious mountain city of God. Behold His lovely dwelling place!
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