HOW ARE YOU?!
Psalm
84:10-12
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!
Where do
you live? We all know where we live physically, but where do our hearts live?
Where do our thoughts find rest? Where do our goals find their fuel? Where do
our hopes find their strength?
The psalmist
makes his resolve clear: he would rather live in the courts of his God. He has
no expectations of recognition or position; all he wants is to be in fellowship
with his God.
Dear
friends, as we reflect on the questions above, we must realize that if we don’t
live in fellowship with God, it is our fault. Our sin is preventing it. It may
be an action or an attitude that we do not want to change, yet God invites us into
His fellowship. We don’t have to feel well to find rest in Him, in fact, He
invites us when we are tired and overwhelmed by the difficulties of life.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all who labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from
me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
It could be
our pride that is keeping us from finding rest in God. The psalmist is willing
to be a doorkeeper, rather than to find opulence far from his Lord.
There is a
reason we are not finding the rest and the peace God wants for us. We cannot
blame it on others; we must look within ourselves. Do you realize what you are
missing? Do you realize you are trading the eternal for the temporal?
God desires
to give us direction, He wants to be the bright light that directs our paths, that
exposes the dangers and delivers us from evil.
Our Lord
desires to be our shield. He does not want us to carry the burden of bitterness
or anger. He is totally aware of everyone who has wronged us and hurt us, and He
knows how to bring justice or produce true repentance.
God is the
rewarder of those who follow Him. All we do should be for our Lord. He is the
One Who shows us favor and honor. Our goal should always be to please Him.
God will
provide for every need we have or ever will have.
Philippians 4:19-20
And my God will supply every need of
yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father
be glory forever and ever. Amen.
When we let
God define our needs, we will never lack for anything we truly need. His
awareness is total and His power is unmatched. All God desires from us is to
live in fellowship with Him.
Now, back
to the question at the beginning: How are you? Don’t gloss over this question,
the way we automatically respond to someone when
we walk by them. I am not merely greeting you; I am really asking you: “How are
you?”
I am not
necessarily asking you if you have all you need financially, or how your job is
going, how your relationships are, or even how your health is. I know that many
are going through some very difficult times. God has compassion on us, and
looks at the devastation of sin as the terrible consequence of the rebellion of
man. When I ask you how you are, I would like for you to ask yourself if you
are enjoying the wonderful fellowship with your heavenly father that could be
yours. Dear friend, my desire is that you find rest in Christ.
May you be
one of those who can say, “I trust in God”, as one who believes in the Word of
God and in the Lord revealed in the Scriptures. When you can do that, you will
be blessed. You will find peace and rest in the arms of your loving and perfect
Shepherd.
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