Psalm 84
Preaching
A Journey Through the Psalms: Reflections for Worried Hearts and Troubled Times
Preaching the Psalms Cycles A, B, C
So many things come down to perspectives or points of view, don't they? It begs the question about which eyes are reading a scripture such as this. "How lovely is thy dwelling place!" The sense of longing here suggests the viewpoint of one who knows what it's like not to have a dwelling place; someone who understands what it feels like to feel that lack of God's presence. It brings to mind that old saying, "You don't miss the water till the well runs dry...."
Such depth of appreciation and wonder really can come only from an appreciation born of knowledge. Someone who has always lived in comfort and privilege will find it difficult to comprehend the motivations and actions of someone who is poor and homeless. Someone who has never been around the shattered homes and lives of a war-torn community can find it easy to ignore wars sponsored by their own government.
But it is only those who have been homeless and destitute who can truly appreciate a home when it comes. None can savor the glories of peace more than those who have been the victims of war.
It is that the beauty of this psalm emerges from someone who has known and understands the struggle to seek, engage, and embrace the holy. Once found, once discovered, it is beyond wonderful. Happy are those who live in God's house! Happy are those who find their strength in God! This happiness, this joy, is infectious. It is the wonder of one who, after a long journey, discovers that it wasn't the destination that was important after all. It was the journey that mattered.
This psalm invites pilgrims on that journey. It sings to the spirit of travelers and it encourages those who have no hope as can only be done by those who have known hopelessness. Isn't it true that pastoral care works best if the pastor has experienced the circumstances or situation that calls for his or her care? In this writer's case, it is certainly true. Having lost one's parents, it becomes an easier thing to walk with others when they lose theirs. In this deep sense, this is a pastoral psalm. Its singing reaches to those who may not be in God's house; those who may not know what it means to trust anyone, let alone God. It reaches with knowing hands.
Such depth of appreciation and wonder really can come only from an appreciation born of knowledge. Someone who has always lived in comfort and privilege will find it difficult to comprehend the motivations and actions of someone who is poor and homeless. Someone who has never been around the shattered homes and lives of a war-torn community can find it easy to ignore wars sponsored by their own government.
But it is only those who have been homeless and destitute who can truly appreciate a home when it comes. None can savor the glories of peace more than those who have been the victims of war.
It is that the beauty of this psalm emerges from someone who has known and understands the struggle to seek, engage, and embrace the holy. Once found, once discovered, it is beyond wonderful. Happy are those who live in God's house! Happy are those who find their strength in God! This happiness, this joy, is infectious. It is the wonder of one who, after a long journey, discovers that it wasn't the destination that was important after all. It was the journey that mattered.
This psalm invites pilgrims on that journey. It sings to the spirit of travelers and it encourages those who have no hope as can only be done by those who have known hopelessness. Isn't it true that pastoral care works best if the pastor has experienced the circumstances or situation that calls for his or her care? In this writer's case, it is certainly true. Having lost one's parents, it becomes an easier thing to walk with others when they lose theirs. In this deep sense, this is a pastoral psalm. Its singing reaches to those who may not be in God's house; those who may not know what it means to trust anyone, let alone God. It reaches with knowing hands.
