Longing for Home: Psalm 84
Message Notes
Ever felt homesick?
Longing is at the root of being homesick
when have you longed for something in life?
Causes of homesickness and longing:
- Leaving Home
- Separation from Loved Ones
- Uncertainty and Change
- Loss of Identity and Stability
What we long for is a good thing, yet we feel terrible in the longing
What if our longing isn’t just something to be avoided, but a sign pointing us to something greater?
Psalm 84
V. 1-2
“How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.”
“my soul yearns, even faints”
to pine = to feel a strong desire or longing for someone or something
V. 3-4
“Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.”
V. 5-8
“Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.”
“Valley of Baka” = weeping
V. 9-12
“Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.
Look on our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.”
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.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
Lord Almighty,
blessed is the one who trusts in you.”
We read this passage and can relate with the feeling of being homesick and the longing for God in our life
Jesus is the greater temple
John 2:18-21
“So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body.”
Being in Christ changes our access
In Christ we have access to God’s Temple courts now.
John 4:19-24
“The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
This world is not our home. We’re homesick for our true home.
Philippians 3:20
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Hebrews 13:14
“For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.”
2 Corinthians 5:1
“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”
We are on a journey like those in the “Valley of Baka”
In this life, worship makes the difference.
True fulfillment comes from seeking, trusting, and dwelling in the presence of God.
Worship is the position of your heart and attitude of your mind
The longing in your heart is only satisfied in God’s presence which you experience through worship
Where are you looking to satisfy the deep longings of your heart?
Are you digging in the valley of weeping trying to quench your thirst?
Or are you experiencing fulfillment in the living God Almighty?