For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand.
I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God,
than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Psalm 84.10
Do you agree with the confession of the Psalmist this morning, beloved? I pray that both writer and reader alike have the same confession of faith. The worst day in the kingdom of God is far better than the best day one could have in the world. David, the man after God’s own heart would say it this way, One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
To dwell in the courts or temple of God is equivalent to dwelling in His presence. Does this kind of faith and enjoyment of God just happen? Does this world and all of its pleasures of sin for a season just disappear into some state of nothingness now that we are following Jesus? Of course not; like David and the sons of Korah who wrote Psalm 84, this desire to dwell in God’s presence and fellowship with Him is born in the daily experience of prayer and obedience to God’s Word. It is a conclusion that is arrived at when we choose make seeking God the ultimate purpose of our lives. Seeking Him for Who He is and for all that He is.
As we read in the book of Acts, we must cultivate the awareness that it is in Him that we live and move and have our being. Beloved, make it your aim to dwell in the presence of God throughout the day moment by moment. How precious life becomes when we learn to live our lives in the Audience of One. How incredible life becomes when we begin to see our Creator and God in all things, small things. The beautiful color of a flower. The amazing flight of a bumble bee. Indeed, it is much better dwelling in the presence of God than in the broken and empty cisterns of this fallen world system.
Romans 8.6 reads, For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Beloved, we will not develop this “better” kind of a walk by looking in the rear view mirror of life. Life and peace is in Christ and in fellowship with Him. It doesn’t get any better than that!
