psm 84. song of songs 4.

How lovely is your dwelling place,
LORD Almighty!
² My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
so intense! the psalmist truly LOVES being in God's presence. the word choice is so extreme: yearns, faints, flesh cry out. not only does this display his affection but ALSO his sincere desperation for God.
⁵ Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
do i find myself in desperate times? where i am seeking the Lord wholeheartedly? to the point where i have no choice but to depend on God's strength to get by? it seems like the psalmist has experienced these types of circumstances.. came to a point of utter dependence on God where he had no choice but to seek God's strength. have i ever come to that point? i think it's easy to pray and ask God to teach me dependence, but i think i forget what that means for me... im pretty much asking God to put me in a situation where i HAVE to trust in Him alone. yikes. but can i trust that i will be "blessed" because of it?
¹⁰ Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
again, the psalmist must have been through an experience that positions him to compare both the worldly, secular lifestyle and a life in God's Presence. now he's able to choose that being in God's presence is better than a thousand elsewhere - extreme wording again. i admit that sometimes i still wonder how life as a Christ follower really compares to enjoying temporary and worldly comforts and pleasures... is following Christ really that much better? is it really worth it? is it so much more fulfilling than what the world has to offer me? can God give me the same faith as this psalmist to believe and trust that TRUE blessings come when we live in His presence and there's no better place to be. even when i think of my future.. as God leads me to places and people that i had never imagined myself investing in.. can i believe that being in God's will is really so much better than being out in the world on my own and making my own choices. i'll have control of my own life, but is that really better than the life that God has for me?