Author's Note: This was originally written as a training for our greeter ministry at Cedar Heights Baptist Church. In past trainings, we focused on logistics, tools, tips, and tricks, but this year God led us to make His Word the foundation of our ministry. What follows has been lightly edited to fit this format.
Psalm 84 shows us what it looks like to be satisfied in God. And, as we will see, our satisfaction in God directly influences how we serve Him. Or, to put it another way, how we serve God depends on our satisfaction in Him.
Psalm 84 shows us what it looks like to be satisfied in God. And, as we will see, our satisfaction in God directly influences how we serve Him. Or, to put it another way, how we serve God depends on our satisfaction in Him.
The Least of These
As I worked through the Psalms over the past several months, God brought me to Psalm 84. I really enjoyed this psalm, and it struck me as the passage to build our greeting ministry on this year.
Now, I will admit, the main reason Psalm 84 stood out to me as the passage for our ministry is verse 10. This verse references being a doorkeeper in the house of God. And isn’t that exactly what we do? It's perfect! But as I went back to this psalm in study, I saw that there’s so much more to it. We find fuel for our hearts throughout Psalm 84.
Psalm 84:1-4
To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
[1] How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD of hosts!
[2] My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
[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.
[4] Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! Selah
The first question I want to ask of these verses is: What can we observe about the house of God?
It is a place…
- …of lovliness (v1).
- …to be longed for (v2).
- …of singing and joy (v2).
- …that is home to the birds (v3)
- …blessing (v4).
From these observations, we see that the house of God is a blessed place to be. Even for birds! When I read that verse about sparrows and swallows, my initial thought was, That’s a pretty picture. But then as I read it again I wondered, Why is this even here? What’s the point the psalmist is making? I wondered about this even more as I considered the mess that these birds make. Sparrows are basically mice with wings. Swallows build their nests out of mud. And we all know these birds leave droppings wherever they like, especially under their nests. These aren't pretty birds, nor are they desirable.
But then I thought, Wait, look at the mess I make… Oh, just one of my sins is so much worse than a multitude of bird droppings. As repulsive as bird droppings are to us, our sin is infinitely more repulsive to God. Yet, our Father cares for us.
In Matthew 6:26, another passage referencing these same types of birds, Jesus says, “[26] Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"
We know this is true, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (Jn. 3:16).
Here, in Psalm 84:3, the psalmist is basically saying, “If these common birds are welcome in the house of God, everyone is welcome in the house of God.” God’s house is a place for the least of these.
Jesus teaches about the least of these in Matthew 25:31-40 in a passage about the final judgement:
[31] “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. [32] Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. [33] And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. [34] Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. [35] For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, [36] I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ [37] Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? [38] And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? [39] And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ [40] And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Read that last line again. Jesus isn't just saying that we should care for the least of these. He Himself is identifying with the least of these! The way we care for the least of these is the way we care for Jesus.
Today, when we say something is for the birds, we mean that that thing is worthless. Psalm 84 teaches us that the house of God is for the birds, but not in that worthless way. Rather, it is for the “worthless” and the unworthy. That means it’s for us and anyone else who desires to worship the living God!
Conclusion: When we are satisfied in the Lord, we serve even the least of these.
Hearts and Highways
Psalm 84:5-9
[5] Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
[6] As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
[7] They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.
[8] O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
[9] Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!
Context helps us understand this next section of Psalm 84. This is a psalm meant to inspire worship, but specifically, this psalm is written for pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem to worship God.
Making observations again, what can we note about these pilgrims?
[5] Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
[6] As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
[7] They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.
[8] O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
[9] Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!
Context helps us understand this next section of Psalm 84. This is a psalm meant to inspire worship, but specifically, this psalm is written for pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem to worship God.
Making observations again, what can we note about these pilgrims?
- The Lord sustains them (v5, 7).
- The Lord provides for them (v6).
- In their heart is the highway of Zion (v7).
- The king, God’s anointed, protects them (v9).
What does it mean that these pilgrims have the highways of Zion in their hearts? They are traveling to Jerusalem, and to have the highways that lead there planted in their hearts means that they are going with joy. They want to do this. They want to worship God. He is their strength. They love the Lord their God with all their heart and with all their soul and with all their mind and with all their strength’ (Mk. 12:30).
What does this mean for us then? At the very least, we want to be like these pilgrims by loving the Lord the way they do. We want to worship Him with the same joy they have! But it doesn’t stop there.
In Jesus, the highways of Zion are written in our hearts too. After all, we have been given new hearts (Ezek. 36:26)—new hearts that Jesus has made His home (Eph. 3:17).
Not only that, but Jesus is the highway to Zion. He is the path of life (Ps. 16:11).
- [6] Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn. 14:6).
- [13] “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. [14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Mt. 7:13-14).
Every interaction we have with the people who come through the doors of Cedar Heights Baptist Church is an opportunity to point them to the path of life: Jesus Christ.
This is where I have to confess a mistake I’ve made as I've welcomed people to our church. This is a mistake I didn't even realize I was making until I studied this psalm.
Often when I'm greeting people who are new to CHBC, I strive to go above and beyond in making them feel at home so that they want to come back. I go out of my way to welcome them, I go to great lengths to give them their gift bag, I make as much conversation with them as they are willing to make, and I even seek to connect them with others. None of these things are bad things. Indeed, we should all be doing these things all the time—not just on the Sundays we’re assigned to greet.
But my mistake comes when I strive to satisfy these people's needs in myself rather than pointing them to our all-satisfying God.
We can't rely on our own strength or own joy to retain anyone. Rather, His is strength that sustains, and His is the joy that abounds. This is freeing. When we give this burden to God, He gets the glory.
Conclusion: When we are satisfied in the Lord, we serve in the strength of the Lord and in the joy of the Lord for the glory of the Lord.
Serving as Worship
Psalm 84:10-12
[10] 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.
[11] 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.
[12] O LORD of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!
The last question I want to pose is: What do we see of the psalmist?
There are several observations we can make, but the two I want to point out are:
[10] 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.
[11] 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.
[12] O LORD of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!
The last question I want to pose is: What do we see of the psalmist?
There are several observations we can make, but the two I want to point out are:
- He would trade a thousand days anywhere for one day in the house of God.
- He would rather take the lowest position in God's house than any position in the tents of wickedness.
Why? Why is he so willing and ready to go to such great lengths to be in God's presence? Because he is satisfied in God. He knows God...
- ...is a sun and shield (v11).
- ...bestows favor and honor (v11).
- ...gives good things to those who walk uprightly (v11).
God is better than anything else. Nothing is better than God. Psalm 16:11 is my go-to verse for reminding myself of this:
[11] You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
When we are satisfied in God, it doesn't matter what we are doing so long as we're in the joy of God's presence. We don't need to be in the front, we're just happy to be at the door peeking in. Being a doorkeeper isn't a glamorous job, but it is a needed job. We shouldn't underestimate serving in lowly positions. After all, isn't that what our Savior did? He delights to work in the unexpected and overlooked. God is working even here—especially if we are satisfied in Him as we serve Him. This frees us to be radically un-self-conscious (i.e., humble) because we’re not looking to ourselves, but to the Lord!
This psalm is meant to encourage our worship of God. He doesn’t need our worship, but He is worthy of it. He doesn’t need our service, but He allows us to serve as worship.
Conclusion: When we are satisfied in God, we serve willingly, humbly, and worshipfully.
Doxological Extras:
1) There are three blessings pronounced in Psalm 84 that are worth noting:
- Blessed are those who dwell in your house (v4).
- Blessed are those whose strength is in God, in whose heart are the highways to Zion (v5).
- Blessed is the one who trusts in God (v12).
If these blessings are true for us, we will want to see them become true for others too.
2) This goes beyond the doors of any physical church building. This goes with us wherever we go. God has made us His temple—His house.
Eph. 2:19-22
[19] So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, [20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, [21] in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. [22] In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit
1 Cor. 3:16
[16] Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
1 Cor. 6:19-20
[19] Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, [20] for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.