The words of Psalm 84 were intended to be a sung or heard by those on pilgrimage in making the journey to worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. A pilgrimage is a journey someone goes on to seek a fresh encounter with God. In the Old Testament, the Temple was where God made His presence known. And so, Psalm 84 was intended to be heard or sung by those making their way to the Temple, to encourage them and keep them going in taking this sometimes long and tiring journey — because at the end they would arrive at God’s “dwelling place” — the place of his presence.
The words of Psalm 84 reminds that when we daily pursue God’s presence, we not only grow closer to God but our lives become characterized by His peace, His strength, and His blessing.
In the Bible, we see that every day God wants us to seek His presence. These three things (peace, strength, blessing) are the reward of those do. Psalm 84 encourages each of us not to give up or lose sight of pursuing Jesus every day, that each one of us would Know God’s peace, God’s strength, and God’s blessing, as we keep focused on pursuing Him above all else. This week we look at ways to pursue Him.