If you could snap your fingers and wind up anywhere, where would you want to be? In full transparency, I’d probably be floating on a lazy river at a resort somewhere in Mexico with an ice-cold lemonade. But on an average weekday, that’s definitely not where you’ll find me.
Some days can feel like an endless cycle of the mundane. Waking up, packing lunches, heading to work or school, washing dishes, changing diapers, grocery shopping—and doing it all over again the next day. Sometimes in the monotony, it can be easy to think, “I’d rather be anywhere but here.”
But what if true joy and contentment aren’t so much about where we are as it is about Who is with us?
I long and yearn for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God.
—Psalm 84:2
When I was a kid in church, we sang a song about how one day in God’s courts was better than being anywhere else. But I’ll be real—I had no idea what the courts of the Lord actually were. The temple of the Lord was the place He chose for His presence to dwell. Now today because of the Holy Spirit, we get to be God’s temple. How incredible of a gift is that?
These verses in Psalm 84 have been reminding me that as children of God, in His presence is where we belong (v.2). When our hearts and lives are rooted in the Lord, we can go from strength to strength (v.7). Spending one day in God’s presence is better than anything else this world has to offer (v.10)
When we walk through seasons of pain or when we’re longing for peace, maybe that is our heart crying out for God’s presence. Today’s reading reminds us that happiness doesn’t come from our job title, the neighborhood we live in, or living a life where nothing ever goes wrong. Instead, “Happy are the people whose strength is in you.” (v.5)
Maybe the longing we regularly feel in our hearts for more isn’t about more money, friends, or opportunities. Maybe what we really need is just more of God’s presence. I’m so grateful today that, “He does not withhold the good from those who live with integrity” (v.11).
God thank you for the gift of your presence and for the peace that’s available to us because of who You are. Remind us today that in Your presence is where we belong and that true peace and lasting joy only come from You. Amen.
Tina, such wise words “earthly longing is never the reality when you arrive there”. Thank you for sharing your story and such a great reminder that perfect longing can only be fulfilled by God. Praise the Lord for showing you and us!❤️❤️
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God. – Psalms 84:3. What a gray reminder I ALWAYS need to here. I often don’t feel content about this season of life and need this reminder more then I’d like to admit. Happy Thursday ladies!
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God. – Psalms 84:3
God will give us everything we need, not always everything we want, in His perfect timing.
I pray that I would be content in God. Nothing else can satisfy me like he can. I think that so often I am searching for so many superficial things, when really what I am searching for is God. I pray that I would be content in you Jesus l, no matter what happens in my life.
Happy birthday Tina! May my heart and soul long more for my savior! ❤️
I woke up to a cold rainy day. Feels as if fall was already here and summer left without saying goodbye. It is funny how my mood is affected by gloomy days and lack of sunshine. I loved it when I went to bed last night with the sounds of pouring rain and occasional thunders. I resonated with the devo today so much. It could not have come at a better time. Thank you ABBY for comforting and encouraging me through your words today. Sometimes in the monotony, it can be easy to think, “I’d rather be anywhere but here”- amen! Yet in our monotony, God does not withhold any good things from those who live upright. Even the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest for herself where she may lay her young. They don’t plant or harvest, or store food into barns, and yet our Heavenly Father feeds them, and how much more precious are we compared to the birds? (Matthew 6:26). How good is God’s heart? To all the mommies who need a home, to care for her young, to the birds in the sky who need a home to shelter from rain and thunders (like one last night), The Lord is responsible for our needs. May we go from strength to strength, each one appears before God in Zion (Psalm 84:7 ESV). How wonderful it is to be in God’s courts. Happy birthday dear Tina, thank you for your beautiful story, as always, you blessed us so much! I am incredibly thankful for you!
Be blessed dear sisters. May the Lord bless us with the ability to see His beauty in the mundane and ordinary things of life.
God’s presence brings me peace!