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Psalm 84 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. - Psalm 84:10 Sometimes we hear a song that catches our attention because the lyrics of that song express something we feel but haven’t been able to properly put into words. A song that did that for me was the song “I’m Gonna Be” (500 Miles) by the Proclaimers. When it hit the charts in the USA in about 1993, the concept in the song seemed so bold to me: “I would walk five hundred miles, and I would walk five hundred more, just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door.” I thought “Man, this guy is willing to walk 1000 miles for the one he loves… I can’t WAIT to fall in love with someone so much that I’d be willing to do something like that.” And I don’t think it was just me that was struck by those kinds of lyrics. I’ll bet every generation has some version of this song, a song with lyrics that expressed a grand thing they would do for the one they love. I know Boomers had some song called “500 Miles,” too (but theirs was 500 miles short of being quite so awesome and the author just sat on a train being sad). But regardless of whose generation had the most awesome love songs, what they all have in common is that these songs, with their bold expressions and poignant lyrics, put into words what we were feeling better than we could have said it ourselves. And this psalm - this most beautiful psalm - does such a gorgeously effective job of putting our desire for God into words. “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord.” You can hear his longing for God in this line. “As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.” Here you can feel the peace and comfort His presence brings. And then comes that big, bold statement: “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.” Yes! He’s saying what I feel! I would walk one thousand miles to dwell in your presence for just a moment, Lord! Those might not be my words, but they express how I feel. So if you didn’t read through Psalm 84 before reading my little write up today, read it when you’re finished, or, read it again if you already have. And while you read it, let his words be your words. Let the lyrics of this amazing love song to God express what you are feeling but haven’t been able to put into words. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty!